Dragon Scales
by Jazmin Gato
Summary: "I'm putting you in charge of my son." "S-son?" "If he changes, you and the town won't see another day." Under the law of his father, Chaos rules. Untouchable. Powerful. Evil. No one dares come close. However, when a shadowed light comes and shines on his life, what happens? What does she bring to the table? Who will change? The shadowed light or the pitch black chaos?
1. Prologue

**Good morning new fanbase. So, I was reading one day and suddenly wondered why there were no stories with Natsu being raised by Acnologia. I figured that I should create some. This was after reading, Calming the Chaos by Lyonsgirl and starting to read Eye of the Black Dragon. This was what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **~Prologue~**

A loud crash sounded in the quiet forest. Soon after it came a child's pained cry, shrill but quiet among the dense brush. Unbeknownst to anyone, a battle was brewing from below the dark green surface of broad overflowing trees. It was mid-day, somewhere around noon, when the child's father had gone out hunting. He had finally come home from the semi-difficult hunt, to see the horrible state of his only son. He lay in a crumpled heap, a pool of scarlet blood slowly growing larger underneath his small body. The boy's breathing was shallow but a very clear indicator that he would live to see another day. The dragon looked around the clearing and the cave they called their home, searching for any and all clues as to who could have done this heinous act. He did find some clues, however, none that could pinpoint or identify the culprit.

When he returned to his son after searching for clues, he would have to make a very hard decision that he wished he didn't have to make. First, he would find the culprits and make them pay for the monstrosity they had committed. Although as he thought about another thought came to mind. In order to do what needed to be done, he needed a different method than original thought. However, accomplishing such a task would require a different situation than the one he was currently in. There was only one option left for him for him and his son. With this decision set in his mind, he set off.

* * *

Huge, dark, menacing wings soared through the almost endless cloudy sky. An enormous shadow slid over the grassy landscape below it. A tremendous roar that could paralyze someone in their sleep was heard for miles. An unconscious child lay sprawled on this giant creature's back, not that anyone else could see it. Humans cowered in fear as his terrifying form flew above them. For some, it was a relief that he simply passed over them without a second thought. For others, they weren't so lucky. Stopping in mid–air above a town, the beast glanced down at the pathetic humans below him. They scrambled in fear as they tried to escape as if that could save them. He looked down upon them and their useless scrambling and without a moment's hesitation, he destroyed the entire town and its inhabitants. Satisfied with the destruction he caused he continued on. In the moment the beast took to watch the people run, the boy woke in time to see him wipe the town from the planet. Once it was over, he collapsed in exhaustion once more balancing on the edge of consciousness. The boy's energy had long been spent and had yet to return and various cuts and bruises littered his small body. Yet, he still made an effort to see the different town's endings.

The dragon continued on his path, occasionally stopping only to remove town by town from the country. It was evident that the dragon was setting a pattern, the destination was yet to be revealed. Soon the beast flew over the town of Magnolia, home of the biggest and the most powerful magic guild in the country. The Fairy Tail Guild. Some could say that it was a coincidence but by the end of the week, anyone could tell you otherwise. The dragon's roar quickly alerted the townspeople as well as the guild and its members of the impending doom as he flew ever closer to their precious guild hall. Mages above the age of twenty-five rushed outside to face the horrible beast that now threatened them all. Any individuals younger than that were not permitted to leave the safety of the guild hall. But who knew if it was really that safe. I mean seriously. However, that was not a thought that was at all considered as mages raced outside to face this ferocious beast. After all, no one who came in contact with this creature ever lived to tell the tale. He landed behind the guild hall, in the middle of the training area. The mages quickly flocked around him but the dragon simply pushed them back around his body, so that they would in front of him, roughly. From the crowd, a man walked up to the deadly dragon. The mages continued to try and encircle him but failed miserably.

"What are you doing here, Acnologia?" The man asked, addressing the dragon. He was short with a cane and wore a white fur-lined coat with a gold symbol on the back. Clearly, this was the guild master, but the dragon didn't have to acknowledge that. Without a word, Acnologia raised one of his front claws to grab something from his back. The mages went into battle position, not that they hadn't done so already, and waited for the threat to present itself. But that wasn't all that safe or useful if you really thought about it. Then he slowly and carefully brought his claw down to the man's sight. No one else seemed to see what he was holding as they all kept their battle stance. There, laying curled in the dragon's palm, was the unconscious child. It seemed as if he didn't want to leave with the way he was curled, but the man didn't see it that way.

"What did you do to him?!" The man yelled as he reached out to grab the child. Acnologia growled and pulled the boy back to him. The growl, that rumbled from his throat, sounded like an earthquake that could easily make the whole guild collapse.

"I did nothing you pathetic excuse of a human. This is my son," came the harsh growl from the dragon. The human in front of him couldn't keep from stuttering his next words. It would have been amusing if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Your–... H–he's your s–son? W–why do y–you–?"

"Stop stuttering human and spit it out." It didn't seem like it should have been a surprise, but no one knew what he did in his private time so it was somewhat understandable. Of course, this whole encounter was taking too long.

"W–what's his name?"

"Natsu Dragnia."

"W–why did y-you bring him h–here? W–why can't y–you keep him?" Now there was a stupid question. If he really could keep him, was there really a possibility that he would let humans take care of him? Of course not.

"There was an incident. It made me realize that his training remains incomplete. If he is to fulfill the plans set before him, he is to be stronger." Acnologia huffed.

"What incident? What plans? How incomplete is his training? What is his training? How strong does he need to be? Why–" Oh, the endless questions with answers he didn't feel like giving. He really didn't have time for this. Already had something else begun to take its effect and this situation wasn't making it any better. He had seen the one flaw in his plan and now he had to alter everything that he had planned out. It was a good thing that he decided to come there. However, his son might not appreciate it at first.

"End your stupid questions. I don't have time for them. I chose Fairy Tail to take care if my son because all other guilds were too weak to handle his power. Your guild may not be as weak but they hold a better chance at surviving with my son around. Don't screw up this opportunity. Once it's lost nothing remotely similar will ever show up. Do not corrupt him with your stupid loving humans shit. It will interfere with his plans. If he does something that goes against what you stand for, don't severely punish him. He must remain by my standards," the black dragon growled ignoring the man's questions.

"W–what? W–what power does he have?"

"You heard what I said. This is the one and only time that I will ever trust humanity in any way. If I find that my son has changed drastically in personality and ideals not only will I destroy Fairy Tail but all of Magnolia will be destroyed. Do you understand, Makarov?" Makarov nodded, his throat suddenly too dry for words. The black dragon then slowly lowered the boy into the guild master's arms. He really didn't want to give him up, but what choice did he have? Trick question. The boy, though still hardly conscience, protested as the warmth of the dragon faded from his body, and tried to reach for the dragon to gain back the feeling. After which, the huge, black dragon proceeded to drop two more objects into the guild master's unsuspecting hand. A white scaled scarf and a black obsidian necklace seemingly fell from nowhere and the master barely managed to grab them as he held the boy.

"What are these for?" the Makarov asked as he glanced at the objects.

"Him." Acnologia began to flap his large wings, sending mages flying away from him. Many tried grabbing onto random objects in order to stay grounded. Ha! Pathetic losers. As he lifted off he sent one last glance at his son before he flew over the rooftops and far from sight. Mages now crowded around the guild master in hopes of seeing what exactly the dragon had given Makarov. None seemed to hear the conversation and due to the constant jostling of bodies, no one got a good look at the boy. Makarov turned and walked to the guild infirmary escaping the noisy mages. Many thoughts went through his mind. The latest: What will this boy be like when he wakes?

 **So, I know that this is a short chapter and I am sorry for that. I really tried to make it longer but sometimes it is a little bit hard. From what I can tell I added about 700 more words than the last revision and I hope that you will give me feedback on things.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite and Review**

 **~Edited 4/5/17**

 **~Peace out!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Good morning my faithful followers. This author's note is a bit different than the original and I hope that is ok with all of you. I know I said that I would be updating Dragon Scales on a more regular basis, but I don't see that happening. Just as a warning to you all. I hope you enjoy this edited version of chapter one. Now, on to the story.**

 **~Chapter 1~**

A young boy sat a table by himself sipping on a root beer in a large wooden mug. Since arriving at the guild many days prior, he hardly spoke and mostly kept to himself. The other children in the guild often stared at the boy and constantly wondered about him. Who was this boy that had joined their ranks? Why were the members kept in the dark about where he came from? What was his magic that he never used? When was he going to stop being the quiet boy he is? Why did he never speak?

The adults never went near him. Most were too afraid of the power he had yet to show. Though no one knew why they had to be scared they were anyway. It wasn't like he was going to hurt them right? The children noticed their fear and often wondered what had this child done to be so dangerous as to make even the adults tremble. Still, they never approached him. They watched him from a distance, waiting to see if he would do anything. Yet, he never did. No child could go on missions until the age of twelve so he sat at a table sipping his root beer and staring into space waiting for the day he turned twelve so he could get the heck out of here and actually do something with his life. Soon one child would build the nerve to talk with this stranger much to their mistake.

"What's your name?" A small white-haired girl now sat next to the boy. That was her first mistake. He didn't even glance at the girl beside him and instead stared down at the bottom of his wooden mug.

"I'm Lisanna," the girl smiled. No response.

"Can you speak?" She poked at him repeatedly. That was her second mistake. She poked at his sides, his face, his arms, and his chest with still no reaction. How stupid was this girl? How could she not pick up the hints?

"I don't think he can speak, guys," Lisanna called to her friends were still watching the scene from a distance. It really was a shame that they hadn't stopped her in time. They weren't even sure why they let her leave in the first place.

 _"For those that can't take a hint, teach them a lesson. All must shake in fear before you."_

"I can speak fine, you idiot!" The boy snapped and every single soul inside the guild recoiled as the words lashed out from his tongue. Everyone was stunned by the harsh words spoken by this stranger and towards Lisanna no less. No one moved, no one spoke, and no one even dared to breathe, for no one had ever spoken so harshly to Lisanna. All though, that thought is a little odd, don't you think?

"Who do you think you are to speak to my sister like that?!" Another white-haired girl screamed breaking the silence. She was twelve years to his ten but it didn't seem to make much difference because the boy didn't respond. He really didn't see why he needed too. It was that girl's fault that she approached him.

"Oi! Mira asked you a question!" A dark haired boy yelled at his silence. He looked around ten or son, shirtless and was clearly tugging at his pants as if itching to pull them off. Even if this stranger didn't know, it was actually quite typical for him. However, his yell didn't have the effect that he wanted. Still no response from this strange boy. For most, people would usually commend someone for this child's level of patience. However, in this guild, silence was not a usual thing and silence almost always meant danger. That is if a certain someone wasn't involved.

"That's it! I don't care who you are, or if you're part of the guild or not! I'm going to destroy you! Ice make: Hammer!" A white mist formed around the boy as he placed his right fist on his left palm. A large ice hammer crystallized above him and as he raised his hands the hammer rose as well. He brought down his fist, the hammer aimed at the other boy's head. This was soon very clearly show that this was nowhere near a good idea. This was their third mistake. Instead of moving the boy simply turned to face the oncoming attack with hardly a look past boredom. He mumbled something under his breath before punching the hammer. At first, nothing happened. Now the ones who had feared the mysterious boy, doubted whether or not they should've been afraid of the boy in the first place. What a stupid thought. The ink-haired boy smirked, thinking that he had won the battle. Had he already forgotten the ice hammer that was still in the air?

"Ha! You seriously th–." A loud rumbling cut his sentence short. A bright glow caught the attention of everyone in the room. Large cracks in the hammer raced across its smooth surface. With one last rumble it exploded, the light blue ice shards slowly falling around both boys and a few other insignificant people. The whole guild was in shock. But, why wouldn't they? No one had ever blocked his attack in that manner before. Sure, his attack had been blocked before just not in that same form.

"Pathetic," the boy muttered under his breath.

"Ice make: Lance!" came the yell of retaliation.

"Gray no!" Lisanna shouted. Though none could tell if she was yelling to stop him from hurting himself or the strange boy. Gray gritted his teeth but didn't make a move to stop. He was in the zone. Why would he waste this chance for Lisanna? On any other day, maybe. Just not today or in that second. A light blue magic seal appeared in front of Gray and several long arrows shot forward. It would totally work this time. The stranger's bright pink hair shifted as he stood and faced Gray. Such an odd color for hair. Why would he want to do that to himself? It was a question they had all asked themselves. Soon though, they would come to know the all natural cherry blossom hair that would forever be branded into their minds. The arrows still hurtled towards him and at the last moment he side-stepped, the arrows missing the boy completely. Great for him but not so great for the young ice mage who yelled in frustration. A bored expression clear on the pinkette's face as he hardly stared at the face of his opponent. Clearly, this wasn't going to work and they needed to come up with a new tactic that would give better results.

"Since you obviously can't handle a kid your own age, I might as well be the one to teach him a lesson." A taller scarlet haired girl huffed, walking up from the back of the group of kids. She was the same age as Mira and wore armor on her chest and arms. Hopefully, she would serve to be a better opponent.

"Yes, Erza," Gray squeaked. How pathetic. And he was so cocky earlier. Erza now stood facing the boy with twin swords in both her hands. _Ooh so scary._ Yeah right.

"State your name, opponent." He merely rolled his eyes and instead stuffed his hands deep in his pockets as his body leaned back a little bit. Erza didn't like his answer to well. It felt as if he was disrespecting her. And that was something she would not stand for. Not if she had anything to say about it.

"You will learn respect!" She yelled. Oh yeah, like that would help. Then she charged forward slashing her swords down at his figure. With his hands still in his pockets, he easily dodged Erza's blows.

"Stop dodging and fight, you coward!" Erza screeched finally fed up with his dodging. Real and serious fighters didn't only dodge. What she didn't realize was the effect that her words had on the young boy.

 _"Most humans are weak, sniveling cowards. Don't you are let yourself be associated with any of their kind."_ With one final swing, he caught the blade of both swords in his hands. While her eyes widened, he showed a fire in his eyes that had seen by no one except his father.

"Who are you calling a coward, you weakling?" He sneered, his long fangs glittering in the artificial light of the guild hall.

"Who are you calling a weakling?" She asked back.

"The girl with red hair on the floor," he shot back without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm not–" With a jerk she was falling backwards, landing on her back. What? When did that happen? As she fell, she felt her swords being ripped from her hands. Now how was that possible? No one had ever managed to that before either. When she looked up she saw him throw her swords behind him in the most disrespectful and disgusted way possible. Rude.

"Pathetic," he said. "Is that all you got?"

"Far from it." She then willed the swords to raise and silently they did. Or she thought they did. Once they were in position, he turned grabbing the swords from mid-air and snapping them in half. Her eyes widened with shock. This boy was just full of surprises, wasn't he?

"What's your name?" Mira spoke up with a glare when Erza was still sitting on the floor in a daze. Didn't he already fight her? Or did she merely speak but they didn't actually fight? Well, whatever happened they would most likely fight now.

"Dragnia."

"Thanks. Now I know who's butt I'm kicking," she said as she smiled. Dragnia sighed as he stuffed his hands back into his pockets. When would this finally be over?

"How annoying," were the words that slipped from his tongue and he couldn't be sure who actually heard it.

"Satan Soul!" At the chat of her spell or whatever, Mira's body glowed as it transformed. Her eyes got larger, her hair got wilder and curlier and jutting up on her head, and her front ponytail got longer and now hung over the side of her forehead. Then her clothes changed into a skimpy one piece suit revealing her arms and legs. Now that was attractive. Note the heavy sarcasm that laced every word. The front was open to reveal her stomach and a decent amount of her small cleavage. Not that Dragnia cared. He already deemed this girl as a) not his type and b) to closely attached to the white haired who started this whole mess. Not to mention that everyone in this whole place and given him a reason to hate them. Now, the final thing that completed Mira's look was a large stocky tail that was covered with scales and almost trailing behind her.

"You will pay for the humiliations of my comrades," she spat. Ha! As if that would happen. Not on her life.

 _"Any who deem themselves to be as good as you are clearly not worth your time. You must crush that thought from their very mind."_

"If you say so," he responded. Clearly, that was not the answer that she had wanted to hear. Apparently, none of them were happy with what came out of his mouth. They really shouldn't be so offended. Maybe that was why they always got into trouble. They were too busy "defending their honor" or whatever to actually care about their surroundings. To pull him out of his thoughts, she let out a scream before she then charged forward with a glowing purple fist. Dragnia mumbled something and let the last word become audible. Wasn't that nice of him?

"Shield." A dark black circle with bright blue symbols appeared in front of him. The surrounding crowd was in awe as they stared at the shield. Had they not seen a shield before? Anyways, Mira's fist collided into it with a loud "boom" and a huge dust cloud formed out of nowhere and created a cover that no one really needed. When the dust cleared it revealed that the shield was without a scratch.

"What?" Mira asked shocked.

"...Iron fist." Pure dark magic that was as dark as night gathered around his fist as he punched Mira in the stomach. He took a deep breath, barely holding back a pant. How had that fight in the forest led to this? He could already feel that his power had weakened. But that wasn't possible. He was stronger than that. These thoughts swirled around his head as he watched as the girl skidded backward and coughed as she tried to catch her was amazing that she wasn't coughing up blood. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at her opponent.

"Darkness Stream!" Mira extended her hands and a magic seal appeared under Dragnia. Multiple tendrils formed around the area before they started surrounding and enveloping him. All was quiet for a single moment. Then the dome began to expand. Some weren't even sure if it was supposed to do that. Then when it looked ready to explode, it began to shrink. It got smaller and smaller and soon started to show Dragnia's body. Ok, something was definitely off and what the guild saw shocked them to the core. The dark magic was steadily flowing into Dragnia's mouth almost as if he was eating noodles. He was actually eating the darkness that Mira had created.

When it was gone he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Because why not? Everyone else did it but it wasn't like there was actually any evidence around his mouth but who cared? When he looked up, a smirk was on his face. It was like he was laughing at them. Mocking them and challenging them to a fight that they couldn't beat him in. The other children saw this and decided to join the fight. Much to their mistake. How stupid could this guild be? Not stupid enough he guessed. Gray again stood with his feet apart and his right fist on his left palm with white mist flowing around him. Didn't this kid get his fill earlier? Erza was now in an armored dress with two swords in her hands and multiple more swords floating around her. Didn't he break her swords? Mira was hovering in mid air with dark bat-like wings behind her and her hands outstretched with more darkness magic around them. She didn't learn her lesson either? What would it take for these people to just submit to him? It wasn't that hard! Come on, people. Some others stood in their battle poses while some sat back at watched, too afraid to join in. At least they knew what was good for them. With the smirk still on his face, Dragnia took a deep breath.

"Chaos Dragon Roar!" The fighting stances faltered as the words left his mouth. They weren't expecting that now were they? Others in the crowd now sat frozen unable to tell their friends to move. Poor suckers. Following the boy's words came a large blast of black magic with dark red, practically mahogany, lines, swirling inside as they flew forward from the boy's mouth. The fire-like magic sped towards his targets quickly enveloping them. That's right, get 'em. They screamed in pain as the black fire consumed them. Dragnia swept his magic around the room scorching the rest of the circling children and any adults who came to help. Finally, he stopped turning, the magic slowly fading away and he was finally able to close his mouth.

The children who were once standing ready to fight were now on the floor groaning in pain. Serves them right. Multiple cuts and bruises littered the bodies of those who touched the fire, lucky them. It could have been a lot worse. The ones who stayed back away from the flames were left unscathed. How lucky. Both Mira and Erza were now back to their normal outfits, their energy completely drained. Yup, just trying to take his magic head on proved to be a huge mistake. Dragnia then stood on a table and addressed the guild. Obviously, that was the only place, besides the bar counter, that he could stand tall and be heard from all corners of the room.

 _"Fear must remain in their hearts. Once you have their attention, make known your stance and never let them forget it."_

"I am Natsu Dragnia, the Chaos Dragon Slayer. Do yourself and everyone a favor and _leave me alone!_ " With that, he got off the table and chugged the rest of his root beer. After, he slammed it on the table, almost breaking the table, and stomped out the guild doors. Once again the guild was left speechless. Only one man wasn't surprised by the results. Makarov Drayer, guild master of Fairy Tail had expected these results. He sighed as he looked at his children.

"Everything alright, Master?" A teenage boy with green hair asked. Makarov sighed and looked at him. This wasn't one of his children that he could easily lie to.

"I don't know, Freed. Did you see when Acnologia landed in Fairy Tail's training area?" Of course, he wouldn't but it didn't hurt to ask.

"That was true?" Freed asked in surprise. Well, at least that fact was confirmed.

"Yes. Natsu is Acnologia's son. And it seems that he taught Natsu to be a dragon slayer. Not only that but it seems he passed on his hatred for humanity to Natsu."

"That's not good," Freed answered, almost politely.

"This incident shows that he not only has remarkable patience but also that he isn't afraid of hurting anyone if provoked. Acnologia also said that I can't punish him or he would destroy Fairy Tail as well as Magnolia." It was a threat that not even Makarov wanted to tamper with in any way.

"What are you going to do?" Makarov's gaze turned to the guild. Mira and Erza were back to fighting despite their new bruises, probably arguing about who had more, Gray was down to his boxers, Cana was gazing at her cards, Lisanna was with Elfman, and the rest of the guild was laughing and seemed to forget the destruction that Natsu had caused. This was the way that it should be.

"There isn't much we can do. He's also proven how much stronger he is over the other children and there doesn't seem to be anyone stronger than him." Definitely not good. What was he to do if he couldn't get to his children in time after they provoked the angry dragon slayer? So far, he had come up with nothing.

"Are you excluding yourself, Master?" Master nodded. Of course, he was.

"What about Laxus? No one can beat him," Freed prompted.

"At this point, I'm not so sure. I could tell he hardly used any power while fighting. I know Gildarts could easily beat him and Laxus probably could but there is no way to know for sure until they get here and drag him into a fight. I am also worried about Lisanna's health." Why wouldn't he be? There was something clearly going on.

"She'll be fine and I know Laxus can beat Dragnia," Freed boasted.

"I hope you're right. The most we can do now is wait and watch him grow. We have to protect the guild and our town."

 **So, what do you think? Is it better or what? For those who didn't know the old version before, trust that this version is better in a lot of ways. Well... that's it. Till next time.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Favorite, Follow and Review**

 **~Edited 7/10/2017**

 **~Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Good Morning my faithful followers. Welcome to the fanbase that is Dragon Scales and my first editing of Ch 2 of Dragon Scales. The actual story is about 6,500 words so I hope that you like it. Obviously, this author's note and the original are different as will all the other ones will be. I will keep my answers to your questions the same but that is really about it. From the original I have,** **for those who what the pairing to be Lisanna, I'm sorry. You will see what I mean by the end of this chapter. That is about it for the first A/N. See you at the bottom. Onto the Story.**

 ** **Disclaimer: I totally invented this story line, all by myself and with the help of my best friend. But mostly me. I think.****

 **~Chapter 2~**

Two years later and Natsu was still as patient and ill-tempered as ever. But who could tell if that was really a good thing or not? The more sensible of the guild members had finally decided to stop attempting to be Natsu's friend. Though no one knew why they wanted to be his friend in the first place. It was really quite dangerous. Yet, there were still some "persistent" ones who hadn't given up. If you couldn't guess, Lisanna was obviously one of the select few. Most others, her siblings included, had tried to stop her without much success. Not that there was any in the first place and the inclusion how no one really knew how hard they or anyone else for that matter were really trying.

At first, Natsu would always blow up at her, his voice loud, booming as the older and angrier he got and echoing around the guild. People would rush to fight him, trying desperately to protect a girl who really didn't seem to protect herself, which always ended very badly for them. All went to the infirmary, it was the only place that was logical, but how long they stayed was up to each person as to how extensive their injuries were. Soon it became such a regular thing that no one even flinched when Natsu yelled at Lisanna. Talk about becoming desensitized. Granted, when it was anyone besides Lisanna they would most likely almost pee their pants. It was a pretty comical reaction if you didn't go off the look on Natsu's face, which was almost always twisted into a scowl. Depending on how angry he was when the stupid idiots decided to fight him, played a huge factor if they actually did pee their pants or not. That wasn't always a reaction and the length their infirmary visit depended on his mood and how long they planned on peeling themselves off the floor after Natsu squished into the pavement. Or dark wooden floors. Or dry dirt. Wherever the fight took place. Unfortunately for the guild members, vicious, pointless fights took place quite often and there didn't seem to be a fair end in sight. Those stupid idiots. Now, most people feared and avoided him, save for Lisanna, after only two years. Quite a record isn't it? Especially for a stubborn guild such as Fairy Tail. Despite the constant verbal abuse Natsu would randomly give, she would always return to him like an annoyingly faithful puppy. One who really didn't want to go anywhere and hoped that her master would suddenly change for the better. Which wouldn't ever happen but she didn't want to give up the hope. Didn't she have anything better to do than to follow him around?

During and after those two years, Natsu had actually calmed some. He didn't yell at Lisanna as much and he let her follow him around the town. Some actually thought that Natsu was going soft. That thought was quickly beat out of them. Harshly. So in reality, he wasn't getting softer but was getting more tolerant. The few who noticed weren't really sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. While he did get more tolerant, often others would challenge him. Had they seriously learned nothing? Every time he gives in, someone always gets hurt. Which, as expected, was never him.

So while people hurt themselves in useless battles they were never going to win, Lisanna remained intent on becoming close to Natsu. Her attempts were only partly successful if you could call them that. Letting her follow him around the town was the start followed by allowing her to sit by him at the guild. But, that was really about it. He had yet to let her accompany him on any missions or even go near his house. He always got to the guild early so Lisanna wouldn't look for him and went home late so she couldn't follow him home. It was a very successful strategy and it continued to prevail, probably long into the future as well. As for missions, he would wait until she was invited to go with someone else before leaving on his own. However, considering how he was only twelve, the number of missions, as well as the level, was restricted to a certain amount. Which was more annoying than beneficial.

That lead to his current situation. Natsu had done his best to evade her but she still managed to find and follow him. It wasn't supposed to be possible. He was sure she had something that she was using to track him even if he knew it wasn't possible either. With nothing better to do with his time at the moment, he had been on his way to his own personal training arena deep in the woods when he picked up a leech. You didn't only need water to pick up such a creature, you know. Another place he didn't want her to see was his training arena. That was for training purposes only and he wasn't about to have an audience for no apparent reason. The only other person who knew about it was Master Makarov since the old geezer helped him build it. Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayer, that leech had found him, latched on, and no matter what he did, he just couldn't get her to let go.

"Natsu, where are we going?" Natsu grit his teeth as a high pitch voice found his ears. He just barely resisted the urge to stick his fingers in his ears but that didn't stop her voice for grating on his eardrums.

 _"Don't ever allow anyone to know that they are in some way bothering you. Don't let them have that satisfaction."_ As fate would have it, Lisanna was the only one to call him by his first name. Stupid fate. Why couldn't it pick on someone more inclined to believe in fate?

 _"Never let anyone you don't deem worthy in on your secrets. For all you know, they could use the very information you give them on you in the future."_

"Somewhere," he growled. As it seemed to be Lisanna's plan, she always found ways to get him alone. This was mostly since while everyone shied away from him and usually didn't speak to him. As a result, she would always talk to him. Always.

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes," he replied after a minute. Lisanna looked around the dark forest.

"Then why aren't we stopping?" Clearly, she was too stupid for this joke.

"You are a chaos dragon. Never fear that your words might affect someone negatively. It isn't your place nor your duty to care."

"Cuz we clearly aren't there, you annoying parasite! So shut your stupid, fat mouth or leave me alone! I don't want you here in the first place!" He kept marching as she quietly shut her mouth and continued to follow him. It was a good thing that she already knew not to protest to any of the names that he had given her. What she didn't seem to realize was that he was just leading her in circles and that they had passed the same trees multiple times. Surely, she would have noticed it by now. He'd hoped she'd get bored and leave. Unfortunately, instead of leaving, she was just annoying him.

"How 'bout now? Are we there yet?" Natsu's eye twitched in annoyance as he kept walking. For who knows how long, Lisanna had been asking the same question every three minutes. Natsu had even counted the seconds. He knew he shouldn't use his magic on her but it was getting harder and harder not to. Any many might ask, the reason why he didn't was mostly since he didn't want his missions to be postponed. He might be stronger than most everyone at the guild but Gramps could totally restrict him from going on missions if he so felt like it. Which he had done before. Stupid Gramps. So, as a result, he would have to endure this pain that this parasite inflicted on him.

"Are we there yet?" Make that one and a half minutes. Natsu clenched his fists. She had to have been doing this on purpose.

"Are we there yet?" Finally, he snapped. His magic spiked once more and he spun around to face her.

 _"Never be afraid to put someone in their place. Most often times, they really deserve what comes to them."_

"No! We aren't there! Now, shut up and quit acting like the baby you are! You are twelve! Act like it!" He turned back and before walking a step it happened again. Hopefully, she would understand this time.

"Are we there yet?" Apparently not. Great. Fed up with her antics, Natsu screamed and punched the nearest tree. Why? Since the tree wouldn't tattle on him. The whole thing shuddered as if in pain. Even the trees feared him. Fantastic. No sarcasm needed. His ears pricked as his sensitive ears picked up a strange sound. It was as if something was falling towards him. He looked up to find a small black circle thing slowly getting closer. He could only wonder what it might be. Interested, Lisanna walked up to him to see what now held his attention. Bad move. Very bad move.

Natsu only glanced at her before creating very much needed distance between them. Just as Lisanna turned to look at him, the object fell on her back. Now that was a sight to see. It's a shame so many people missed their only opportunity. Due to the force, she was flattened with her belly to the ground, squished like a pancake. As she lay there Natsu decided to examine the strange object. It looked like an egg with white on the bottom layer and blue swirls that looked like fire were all over the surface of it. Was it a dragon egg? That would be amazing if it was. Natsu held up the egg to get a better look at it, unfortunately, freeing Lisanna in the process. However, why didn't she get up in the first place? It wasn't that heavy. She got to her feet and held out her arms wanting to hold the egg. Yeah right. Instead, Natsu put it behind his back and shook his head.

"I want to hold it," she said her arms bounced slightly for emphasis.

"No." His firm voice didn't seem to sway her.

"Let me hold it," she whined. Like that was going to help her.

"No."

"Natsu, give me the egg," she tried to demand. Ha! How pathetic was she?

"Chaos dragon's wings!" Natsu chanted rather than answering. Black wings with intricate dark purple swirls flashed onto his back. He held in a groan of pain from the sudden transformation and moved his wings to stretch them for a second. He flapped his wings in a fast and hard motion and shot off the ground. Once above the treetops, he made his way back to the guild. However, this could be where questions arise if you are not paying attention. If he had used his wings to fly away from her earlier then either she could have followed him or she would have gotten lost. If that happened he would never hear the end of it. Or be left alone. Or go on missions. He would be stuck with this stupid idiots for the rest of his long life! Ew. Or, there was the possibility that she would find the things that he wanted to keep her from knowing about. That That wasn't happening either. Once inside the guild, people gathered around the egg. However, once Natsu growled, the crowd quickly disappeared.

"What's inside it, Gramps?" the young dragon slayer asked.

"I don't know," the old man answered as he rubbed his beard. He had never seen anything like it and he had seen how gentle the dragon slayer was with it. Which was mostly flying in and carefully setting it down but it was enough. Maybe there was a side to this boy that none had ever seen.

"How do I make it hatch?" the pinkette asked as he stared in wonder at the egg. To say that Makarov was impressed was an understatement, to say the least. This was the first time he had ever seen anything on the young boy's face besides a scowl, a frown or a snarl.

"Uh... Keep it warm?" Natsu nodded his head in understanding before he suddenly sniffed the air.

"Gotta go," came his short explanation. Then grabbing the egg, Natsu ran out of the guild doors, before his black wings sprang out once more. Then a minute later Lisanna walked through the large oak doors.

"Little sis? Where've you been?" Her brother asked.

"I was with Natsu and he ditched me!" she fumed.

"You shouldn't still be following him, Lis," Mira stated, as she fiddled with her nails.

"I know I can get through to him. He already lets me follow him around! I know I can open them up," she protested.

"You've been trying to for years now," Mira flicked her hand to look now black nails and didn't even look at her younger sister.

"But big sis, I know I can do it!" The youngest Strauss huffed as she approached her bored sister.

"Do what, Lis?" A new voice spoke up. Standing in the doorway, was a red-haired girl wearing a small suit of armor. It was mostly around her chest and hands but it still almost made a sound as she moved. That didn't stop her as she walked over to the group.

"Get Natsu to open up!" Lisanna practically shouted as she turned to her friend.

"For once, I agree with Mira. That is never going to happen," the redhead answered with a shake of her head.

"Oh, is the almighty Erza finally going soft? Or are you finally admitting that I am more right than you are?" Mira taunted with a cackle.

"Who are you calling soft, old maid?" Erza growled as she tried to intimidate Mira through invasion of privacy. It didn't work.

"Who are you calling Old Maid, stage fright?" Mira growled back as she moved to push her out of her space. They now stood glaring while they knocked their foreheads together. Now, any people who were around them moved to a different area in fear of being too close to yet another fight. These fights even come close to what the chaos dragon deals out. If others try to stop them. Both teens now ignored the twelve-year-old. Going off by herself, Lisanna was now sitting at the bar drinking a peach smoothie. _I will get him to open up to me. I just need to know more about dragon slayers,_ she thought to herself.

Or at least she thought she did. Unbeknownst to her, she had actually said the words out loud and under her breath. It wasn't like most could hear her anyway. However, that didn't stop a single person overhearing it. An older teen had heard the words tumble through the silver-haired girl's lips and made no move disturb her. His striking blonde hair was submerged in shadows and the only light on his face displayed the lightning bolt scar over his right eye. His spiked black headphones covered his ears, though they didn't hinder his hearing, and his hands were deep in his black jeans pocket. His dark green shirt was almost gray in the darkness, and no one had any idea that he had been standing there. One of his better hiding places. He knew that ever since Natsu had joined the guild Lisanna had been obsessed with him. So much so that it almost made up for the fact that he had no friends. Almost. You know, in a creepy, disturbing kind of a way. He also knew that if this white haired crazy knew more about Natsu than he himself did then it would spell out trouble for everyone. Literally. He knew he couldn't keep this information to himself and that he had to tell Natsu. And he had to do it soon.

XXX

For the next few days, no one saw Natsu at the guild. At first, no one but Lisanna was really concerned. Why would they? Any day without that monster beating them up was a good day. It wasn't until a week later that the members had started to become concerned. It wasn't so much for him as it was for the people who had a higher and higher chance of meeting him. However, due to his secretive nature, no one really knew what to do about it. It wasn't like they could go to his house and demand answers. Anyone who wanted to had to have a death wish of some kind. Lisanna especially was affected by it. Constantly she would beg for search parties to be sent out, or for someone to at least talk to the other guilds. However, because Magnolia was so big plus the forest surrounding it, no one really had the energy nor the will power to search the entire area. Not to mention that if any other guild even saw the evil child that they would inform Fairy Tail. Even if it was simply passing through for a mission, and all they saw was a fleeting glance. The longer he was gone the more the guild was being irritated by Lisanna's constant complaints and whines about the missing dragon son.

This very thing seemed to be driving a wedge between her and her siblings. And the youngest had no idea she was doing it. The only person that was more irritated was a certain blonde haired teen with the lightning bolt scar if you could imagine it. If you didn't know, he wasn't one to be concerned with other people's problems and cared even less about helping anyone but himself. He was scared of very few things, which included Natsu, but there were things that he _almost_ feared. What? Not everyone can admit to their fears and _he_ was right on the border. His guildmates going crazy was one of his _almost_ fears and he really wasn't the soothing type. He didn't exactly care _too_ much for his guildmates either but he really needed to keep these people sane mostly for publicity reasons. And to add insult to injury, he didn't need someone like Dragnia controlled by someone like Lisanna. Talk about a disaster. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if the guild he was part of was labeled as crazy. However, he wasn't sure if her research would actually lead to that but he preferred not to find out if he could help it. Just then the guild doors burst open. They slammed against the wall and everyone flinched at the sound. Sure other people burst in when they got home from a mission but there was only one who made the doors boom against the wall.

"Natsu!" Lisanna screamed as she turned to the door with her arms spread wide. For the past week every time someone, or anyone, opens the large oak doors, she would yell out his name in hopes it was really him. Sad, right? She didn't even add any logic to her craziness. So far she had been wrong every time. It was quite the losing streak too. People had even started betting on it since they really had nothing better to do with their lives. She would never learn and they wouldn't either, would they? However, for the first time in a week, this time she had actually been correct. Who would have thought? She ran towards him, her arms outstretched, trying desperately to get close to someone she felt she hadn't seen in a lifetime. If only it had been. Maybe things would turn out better for her. Alas, this was not the case. When she was close enough, she jumped in the air, with plans of latching her arms around his neck. Natsu, however, had different plans, that he would oh so gladly carry out. Once she was in the air, he side–stepped and glanced at her through his peripheral vision, as her fingers just barely brushed the edges of his white scaled scarf. That would be the closest she would ever get to hugging him in her lifetime. She landed with a crash and Natsu walked past her to the bar without a word. Wasn't it great? Or are you one of those people who are like, "No! Why do you let this relationship continue like this? Where is your humanity?!" Well, there is none in this particular area. So, while people had expected this exact thing, more or less, everyone still found it surprising when it happened in person. Wouldn't you be surprised if you suddenly heard a yell, the shuffling of feet, and a loud thud that sent a cringe down your spine?

"Natsu! Where have you been?" Lisanna asked after she recovered from her sudden floor hug and sat beside Natsu at the bar. You should know that by "recovered" she mostly just scrambled off the floor as fast as she could manage and raced for the bar as soon as she peeled her body off the wood flooring.

"At home," a voice said. It was higher pitch in than normally expected from Natsu but Lisanna brushed it off. Idiot. Who would not be even the slightest bit suspicious? Others rightly looked on in bewilderment.

"Where is home?" Lisanna tilted her head in mock confusion. Ha! As if he would answer that question.

"I'm not telling."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to." This conversation itself wasn't out of the ordinary but the fact that his voice pitch was different and how quickly he responded had everyone suspicious. At least they weren't complete idiots. Otherwise, there would be a lot more violence. Lisanna, however, didn't seem to notice anything different about the situation and she continued on trying to gather, more like pry, info from Natsu. Or what she believed was Natsu. Everyone else was questioning it, they would be idiots if they didn't, but why didn't she? He answered every question as quickly she asked them and gave no hesitation. How did that not strike as odd to her? Finally, she asked the question that had been bugging her all week.

"Natsu, where's that egg we found?"

"You didn't find it," came the huffy answer.

"I was there!" she shouted as she flailed her arms.

"But you didn't find it, did you?"

"No. But I still want to know where it is." This whiny comment was then accompanied by a crossing of her arms over her chest and a slight turning of her body.

"You mean the one on the table behind us?" At his last comment, everyone's attention turned to the large wooden table. Indeed, when their gaze went to the table, there a large white egg with blue swirls sitting proudly in the center of it. People gawked at the sudden appearance of the large egg and how the egg wasn't there before.

"Where did that come from?" Someone asked. Did they honestly just ask that question?

"I brought it," he answered.

"You what?" Were they seriously shocked? Obviously, he brought it if it wasn't there before he even came in.

"Yup."

"Dragnia, what is really going on here? Are you sick?" Erza spoke up, finally sick of this nonsense. She already knew that something was going on, but she had no idea of they ploy that he was playing at. Natsu barely glanced at her but rather focused on drinking his root beer.

"Why would I be sick?"

"Well you–"

"After all, I was just born yesterday," he cut her off. That statement alone seemed to freeze the guild in their place, a cold chill running down their spines. What was going on?

"B–born y–yesterd–day?" It was unclear whether it was Erza who stammered or if it was someone else in the guild but someone totally said it out loud.

"Yeah! Well, maybe it was a few days ago, but close enough."

"I don't understand!" Someone called. Great. Maybe they _were_ all idiots.

 _"It is more than ok if you remind someone how inferior humans actually are sometimes. More often than not, they need it."_

What's not understand, you pathetic humans!?" Natsu screamed chucking an empty glass bottle at someone. The glass, as Natsu had long since switched to glass bottles rather than wood mugs since they caused more damage, shattered behind someone's head and effectively silenced the rowdy guild. Now I know what you're thinking and it's time to take a few steps back. When Natsu had entered the guild hall, everyone had seen Lisanna try to tackle him. However, what everyone had failed to notice was a small flying shadow float above their heads, carrying a large egg. Surely they would remember if they had seen something like that. When Lisanna started question Natsu, no one had seen the creature set down the egg and climb inside. What? It wasn't Natsu's idea to trick the guild if that is what you're thinking. How native could this dragon possibly be? The only one who was never completely fooled by the trick was the barmaid. For she could clearly see that the chaos dragon slayer hadn't moved his lips to speak in the first place. Why would he? He never talked that much before and he wasn't about to start now. Or at least, not around these stupid idiots. They weren't worth the time or the effort. He had, however, kept gesturing for more Root Beer. If she had looked closer then she would have seen Natsu smirk into the bottle.

Yet, at the conversation continued on, Natsu continued to get more annoyed. And the smirk that had once stained his lips had slowly disappeared. He knew that most everyone was suspicious when they didn't hear his normal voice. But he supposed that it _was_ part of the fun but who really cared anymore? As of yet, people had to figure out that he was using a projection spell. Sound projection. At first, Natsu considered it funny, however, the longer the conversation went on, his patience level slowly began to grow shorter and shorter. When someone screamed they didn't understand it snapped the patience he had left.

Now, every mind that was inside the guild's walls was in nothing but shambles. No one knew what to do, what to say, what to think. Most figured there was something off but, this was unexpected. It was possible that there was a stronger word for this but it wasn't like anyone knew what it was. First Natsu disappeared, (which most were concerned, considering they weren't sure what would happen if he wasn't at the guild). Then suddenly his voice has been altered and not everyone had noticed. What did he do? Was something bad going to happen? Of course, neither of those questions made any sense and it really wasn't helpful as well. Then when Natsu snapped it was like a string being knotted. Facts were now clumped together, tangled within each other, and all blended as one. What shouldn't have been was and what was shouldn't have been. Or was it? Who could tell? Lisanna currently stood in front of the egg, examining it, since she had tuned out a while ago and had no idea what was going on around her. For her, if Natsu had it, surely he had done something to ruin the precious egg.

"There's a crack in it! Natsu, you idiot! You killed him!" She froze as the words left her mouth. Had she really said that? Then she slapped her hand over her mouth as if that would prevent any more idiocy from leaving her lips. The guild went silent. Though most were already silent, this was a different kind of silence. It seemed to most, or at least to the idiots who hadn't figured this out already, that the only time the guild went silent was when Natsu was involved. They should have known this already and it was quite obvious that this was the case. Natsu's eyes zeroed in on Lisanna, his eyes locked in the coldest glare that she had ever seen. This was the first time she had ever spoken back to him and it was something that she ever thought she would do. For the dragon slayer, it wasn't so much that she stood up to it him since everyone had to prove where they stood on certain matters. What made him mad was that she thought she knew better than him. Especially on the subject she knew nothing about.

"What did you say?" Natsu's voice deepened and strong aura began to surround him.

 _"The liars and the cheats have no place in your presence. Squash them as soon as you have a chance!"_

"Nothing!" Lisanna squeaked. Ooooh. One should never try to cover up what they said when talking to a dragon slayer.

"What. Did. You. Say?" He repeated slower. His voice was as smooth as silk but at deadly as venom as it slid out off his tongue from where it rose in his throat. Of course, he knew what she said, but he wanted her to confess. After all, she couldn't just speak up without reason and not defend it.

"I–I d–didn't say an–anything!" Bad move, you parasite. Natsu stalked towards her, glaring the whole way, waiting and knowing that she wouldn't own up to her mistake.

"Wrong answer," he ground out as he grabbed her throat. Unfortunately, she was much too close to him for him to use his magic and instead went with a more physical approach. Lisanna immediately started gasping and clawing at his hands, as anyone else would do in her situation, in effort to make him let go. He didn't. He hardly flinched.

"Lisanna!" Mira screamed when she saw her only sister in grave peril. But what else would you be in if you dare "taunt" this vicious dragon slayer?

"Let her go!" Mira shouted next before she transformed and flew at him. Once she was close enough, he shifted his weight and kicked her in the stomach, not letting go of Lisanna. Yeah, he was that good. Mira fell from the air and skidded on the wood floor. She glared at Natsu as if he would immediately drop her from fear. However, he was glaring at Lisanna, who was still gagging and gasping in his hand. Even though the older sister tried to glare at him, the chilling glare that wasn't directed at her had easily overridden her own and all she was left with was being paralyzed with fear. Fear for her sister, and the death that she was close to, and fear for the guild that she had come to love, even if she didn't love all the people.

"I...I'm...s–sorry..." Lisanna gasped with his hand still wrapped around her throat.

"Sorry for what?" His glare hardened and got colder as the grip he had around her throat got tighter and more deadly.

"I–I... d–don't... k...know." She didn't know? She didn't know. Great. Just Great.

"Then why apologize, you piece of scum?" Disgust filled his entire being and he couldn't even hold onto his prey anymore, he was so disgusted. With a jerk, he threw Lisanna to the floor beside the egg.

"I–I th–thought y–you wa–wanted m–me t–to," she stammered as she rubbed her sore neck. It would surely bruise tomorrow.

 _"Never accept anything that is any lower than what you deserve. Humans should know what you expect and what they should expect."_

"I don't want your half–baked, empty apology, you clingy leech. I don't want you to get up on your high horse and think you know everything about a subject you know nothing about. You don't know me. You don't know what or how I think, how I react to things outside the guild. You don't even understand anything that I do. You only know what I show you and nothing else is ever brought to your attention. You don't even know what happened to the egg while I wasn't here." He stomped over to her form that hadn't moved and picked her up by her throat once more and brought close to his face.

"How dare you think you know better? You don't even know enough about the topic to join the conversation. Now you dare accuse me? How stupid are you? You have no idea what I did. You have no proof whether I did do something horrible or not. How dare you challenge me? This so called, she-demon, can't even save her only sister from my anger or my grasp. What good does she do you? She can't even make me sweat. I've thrown her to the floor only once and she still has yet to get up. What chances do you have of beating me?" he scoffed. With that, he tossed her in the direction of her older sister. As the leech skipped, skid and rolled across the floor, Mira tried to move either out of the way or to save her sister but found she couldn't do either. How pitiful was that?

"Lisanna!" Mira called out. Obviously, yelling wasn't going to work, but apparently, neither party didn't really have the energy to care or do anything besides yell. Which really sucked for them. Lisanna didn't respond as momentum kept her moving and her brain wasn't really listening to her at the moment. Tears somehow ran down her face and she finally crashed into Mira, who had switched back to her normal clothes in the attempt to at least lessen some of the blow. Once the two girls were settled into a heap on the floor, Natsu snapped his fingers. All attention turned to him as the egg shook. People gathered in amazement and as the cracked area popped off the egg. It didn't even crack or anything. The top simply came off and when is did, the members guild jerked back. Out came a tiny blue creature and at first, no one could tell what it was. After all, no one had seen one before.

"What is it?" Someone asked.

"It's not a dragon," someone else said.

"Is it a bird?"

"It's a cat, you idiot," a fourth person replied. Indeed it was a cat. Thank Mavis for that person. The cat's fur was blue with white fur on his tummy and tip of his tail, and a pair of small angel wings were attached to the back of his tiny body. He was actually quite cute and that was something that everyone instantly knew. He fluttered his tiny wings and landed on Natsu's head. Oh no. Not good. Why of all people did the small, blue, cute creature have to decide to live out its days in the hands of a very evil, very uncaring person?

"What's his name?"

"Aye! I'm Happy!" The cat called out. They couldn't believe it. It was the same voice that had led to this incident that had flowed from the cat's mouth. Then almost all at once, the guild fainted. But, was that really necessary? What were they expecting if when they saw a cat hatch from an egg? While most fell, Natsu looked on in disgust.

"What happened, Natsu?" Happy asked, confusion filling his tiny, adorable face.

"This guild is full of idiots," Natsu growled back. Lucky for Happy, he knew to expect this tone from the dragon slayer just from the few days of being alive. Just then the blond teen, with the spiked headphones and the lightning bolt scar, stepped forth from the shadows.

"Dragnia."

"Dreyar. What do you want?"

"I came to tell you that I heard Lisanna say that she was going to study and gain more knowledge on Dragon Slayers," the older teen answered with his hands still in his pockets and casting a bored glance at the ceiling.

"That concerns me, how?" The dragon slayer cocked his head in question.

"She's trying to find out more about you in specific. If she knows more than you, or about dragon slayers in general then that would give her knowledge or power that I'm not sure you want her to have." Natsu didn't respond to the thought. The older teen did have a point though.

"What do you want me to do about it, Laxus?" Laxus shrugged and pulled his hands from his pockets to ruffle his own hair and shift his headphones.

"I don't care. I just came to tell you what she's gonna try to do. How you respond is up to you. If you don't want to do anything, I won't say anything else on the matter. I just don't like the fact that with the knowledge she gains, could come the possibility of her controlling you." Natsu growled, both in anger and disgust at even the possibility of being controlled by someone like that evil witch. Laxus simply re-slid his hands into his pockets and walked towards the guild's front doors without another word. Once he was gone, Natsu turned his attention to Happy.

"Want your very first mission?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted, from his place in Natsu's hair.

"Any information she gains, find a way to take it from her. If she gets any books, steal 'em. If she is told secrets or facts, make her believe they are false. Then bring any new information to me. Understand?"

"Aye, sir!" Now, this was someone who could follow orders without complaint.

"Good. Get me a root beer and let's go."

"Aye sir," Happy said smiling. And though none could see it, there was a small glimmer of mischief that was visible on his small little eyes.

 **So, as for this A/N, all I really said was how the original was about 4,000 words. Now, I give you another 2,500. Aren't you lucky? I also thanked my new followers and favoriteers, which I won't do anymore since it takes up too much time. Sorry. That and there are too many to do every time. Oh well. Till next time!**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite, and Review**

 **~Edited 7/11/2017**

 **~Peace out!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Good morning my faithful followers. Look, a newly edited chapter 3! YAY! As for the old questions, Natsu is overly mean because he was raised by Acnologia who hates humans and not Igneel who loves humans. If Lucy doesn't fit yet, she will. Next is still no comment on the mating thing. It's a** **secrety** **secret. I will also attempt to mix in the dragon arc somehow. We'll see how that happens later. So, after a few minutes of having the edit being posted, I added what I thought was missing. Nailed it! I think. Oh well. On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **~Chapter 3~**

"I can't believe him! How dare he only lower the price 1,000 jewel! I've gotten more than that before! Stupid old man. Maybe he was going blind." A busty blonde was fuming as she walked down the sidewalk of a semi-busy street on a semi-busy day. She had been at a magic shop, the only one in town, and had the intention to buy a certain special object that she had seen on further inspection of the store. She tried using her charm to lower the price and it went from 20,000 to 19,000 jewel. Which sucked. She still bought the object anyways but she was still mad. How could she not be?

Now she's stomping down the street, with no clear destination in mind, trying to forget the bad experience that had transpired in the stupid shop. While she walked she spotted a large crowd gathering around something. Or someone. We would hope that she would walk right past it, but she did the opposite. As she approached the crowd she noticed something odd about the atmosphere. She felt a dark presence and the closer she got, the darker the threat became. This only fed her curiosity, and feeding her curiosity was one of her favorite pastimes. Although, maybe now wasn't the best time. However, the strangest thing happened when she got to the front row of the ring she found herself in. It was then that she noticed how most of the crowd was female. Actually, there were very few men. If any at all. In the middle of the crowd stood a single man talking to as many women as he could. There was confidence in his step, a smirk on his face, and arrogance seeping out of every pore, tainting the air around him. Her normal response would usually be, "what a jerk" or "ew! Why can't I leave fast enough?" but this time it wasn't.

The man wore a long, dark, high collared cape that almost reached his knees. Below it was a simple, light short-sleeved shirt with outlined edges, paired with white pinstripe pants with visible hems that were held by a simple belt. Three metal bracelets were wrapped around both wrists and there were several rings that were randomly placed on his fingers which glinted in the sunlight. Dark blue bangs covered his forehead as he walked and almost swayed with his every move. As she watched she could feel her heartbeat pick up. Super not good. If only she had gotten away sooner. Or not have gotten involved in the first place.

"Wh–what is this?" She mumbled to herself. Something was way off. She could feel it. He looked in her direction as she felt hearts fill her eyes. Such an odd… Sensation. It felt as if her mind fogged up and all she could think about was how pretty and cute he was. Which that in itself was out of the ordinary. She never classified any man as "cute" or "pretty". Yuch. Through the haze, she saw the man coming closer and she squealed as he locked his gaze on hers. She wasn't a squealer of men! What was this man doing to her!? Other woman screamed out their joy behind her.

"Ladies. Ladies, please. Calm down. Otherwise, you won't hear my announcement." They quieted, determined to hear every word that came out of his mouth.

"I'm having a party tonight on my yacht and all of you pretty women are invited," he announced waving his hands in the air. The woman cheered in excitement. As the man smiled he pulled out several whiteboards with his signature on them and threw them into the crowd. Can you see the trouble brewing from here? Women jumped, trying to catch the boards as the man kept throwing them further and further into the crowd. Bad. Very bad. This would lead to some unforeseen consequences that no one would ever be prepared for. Consequences that no had even thought to dream of. So let's rewind a little bit.

Around the same time the blonde left the shop, a tall cloaked figure stepped off of a somewhat nearby train. His small companion, who was following close behind, came next. He glanced around as if looking for someone and began walking. His companion said nothing and kept to the silence that they had. The two partners had no idea where to go, so they simply started wandering the streets. After all, they had to come upon something eventually, right? Soon they passed a large crowd in the middle of the street, people gathering around something. Or rather a large group of women gathered around _someone_. Strange. However, the cloaked figure wanted nothing and knew nothing of spectacle and began walking past them. Familiar words rang in his eyes as he moved past, mostly something about how large crowds weren't the best place to be. That is until something crashed down onto his head. Now don't get him wrong, it didn't hurt, but someone had the audacity to throw something at him. Whether it was intentional or not, the figure now had to figure out just _who_ threw something at him. Especially, since those words morphed into something less cautious and more hateful.

The angry male now shoved his way through the screaming females and made his way to the front, determined to find the culprit. They wouldn't get away so easily. The screams were loud in his ears and he winced in response. They were almost loud enough to drown out the voice that was always near. Completely unacceptable. It was a good thing that no one could tell who he was. If his identity were to be identified, he'd never get anything done. Sure, his cloak might attract some attention, but people really wouldn't question it. They were all too focused on themselves to wonder about some cloaked person and his pet walking down the street. His companion, who had been on his shoulder for the last several minutes, now hovered at his side hardly making a sound, not that anyone noticed anyway.

The small flutters of tiny wings caught the blonde's attention, however, and she just had to turn to look at what made the sound. Not even a spell could curb her curiosity. She looked away from the obnoxious scene to find a cloaked figure standing directly across from her. The split second that he somehow he met her eyes, the hearts in her eyes shattered. Who knew? If the cloaked man noticed at all, he gave no indication of it and instead turned his attention to the dark-haired man. It seemed as if he was unaffected but the spell. When the cloaked man turned his head, she could've sworn she saw pink hair peek out from the edges. But she quickly dismissed it. After all, who of all people would have pink hair? And more importantly, why would they dare to hide it?

"Who are you?" asked the man in the cape when he noticed the glare from the cloaked man. What was he doing here anyway? The cloaked man didn't respond and stuck to his glare.

"Just so you know, you're not invited to my party," Mr. Capey said snobbily with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah! Not invited," some girl shouted.

"Don't even bother!" a different girl added.

"Just so you know, I'm gonna pound your face in," the cloaked man retorted back in the same tone annoying snobby tone. It almost really worked out too well, with the man's deep voice and sassy tone.

"W–why?" At the cloaked man's response, the caped man stepped back. Apparently, he didn't like that idea. Pathetic baby.

"Because one of your stupid signature boards hit his head," his companion answered. The blond couldn't see who spoke but she could hear a definite voice difference. While the cloaked man had a deep voice the other had a high pitch voice. It only made her curious.

"Then that's your fault for being in the way! Everyone needs to have the Salamander's signature," Mr. Capey retorted trying his hardest not to portray fear. It wasn't working out too well.

"Salamander?" The three of them say in unison. What was this guy talking about?

"Yes! I am the Salamander!" Mr. Capey yelled with a huge wave of his hands.

"I don't believe it," his companion said.

"I–It's true!" Mr. Capey protested. Cloaky, as the blond deemed him, just shrugged.

"Still gonna pound your face in," Cloaky murmured with a shrug.

"T–that won't be n–necessary. Ladies, get him!" There was a small pause, a lull if you will as all the women then turn turned their gaze to Cloaky and held it there.

"Don't you dare think of hurting our Salamander!" There was a shout, followed by many others as they all shouted things but didn't otherwise move.

"No one is more powerful than salamander!" The blonde saw his eye twitch but he continued to say nothing.

"Get him!" Some lady shouted. Salamander smirked as his plans were coming together nicely. Well, good for him. Not.

"Red carpet." Purple fire flared around his feet and grew and a steady pace. Hm, a fire mage. That was unexpected. Salamander didn't move as he now stood on the tip as a fire continue to spiral beneath him. It continued to grow and lifted him into the air, far from any attack that Cloaky might inflict upon him. Salamander then waved to all women below him.

"Don't forget my party tonight!" He called when he left. Meanwhile, the woman on the ground women began to surround Cloaky.

"Hey! Let me go!" his companion yelled. The blonde sighed as she quickly formed a plan in her head. She knew he couldn't hit any of the women, or she hoped he wouldn't at least. Pushing forward she came face to face with Cloaky. His hood has been pulled off of his head and she could clearly see that he indeed have pink hair. Cool. If only she could touch it. Then her life would be complete. She turned her head to see that some women held a blue cat's limbs and were pulling in different directions. Now that was just mean. She yanked the cat from their grasp and smiled at the pinkette before grabbing his hand. He didn't pull away and simply stared at her waiting to see what she would do next.

"Come on, Pinky. Let's ditch these crazies!" she yelled. He growled but didn't resist as she pulled him away. It was probably the nickname. The women continually pulled on his clothes and started to follow them. Not good if they wanted to get away. The blond now had to think of something to distract their new followers.

"Look! Salamander is coming back!" While the women were distracted she once again led the way out of the crowd. Those idiots. They were too stupid not to fall for that trick. When they were clear and sure that no one was following them, they bent over to catch their breath. Or at least she did, he wasn't even out of breath. When she looked back up she saw Pinky walking away from her.

"Where are you going, Pinky!?" she called after him.

"Uh-oh. Yooouuu'rrree in trooouuubbbllee," came the companion's voice. By this point, she realized that the blue cat was his companion who was now hovering at his side. Cute little thing. The blonde looked worried at his advancement but didn't back down. Why would she?

"Look here, you annoying blond. First of all, it's salmon. Not pink. Second, where I'm going doesn't concern you. Third, I don't need your help–"

"You did so!" Interrupted the blond.

"What?" He hadn't expected her to interrupt him. Weird. More words berated him, but he chose to let them leave in favor of attempting to put this girl in her place. Not the word attempted. Very important.

"You did need my help, Pinky!" she growled.

"What makes you think so?"

"If you had touched those women, it would lead to unfavorable consequences," she huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Anyone else would have noticed how the action made her chest a bit bigger. Pinky was not one of those people and the blond clearly noticed.

"She's right," came the companion's voice. At least someone agreed with her.

"I know that," he growled as he turned his head to the feline. Then he turned to the girl and ground out, "What do you want?"

"What?" Her hands dropped back down to her sides as she looked at the man incredulously. What was he talking about?

"What do want to return?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. If he meant it literally then, she spoke the truth. He saved her from that charm spell so she had already paid back the favor. Since apparently, he didn't need her help anyway, she then turned and walked away.

"I'm Lucy, by the way!" She called out without looking back. She raised a hand in the air, probably in a wave and kept going. Once she was gone, the cat turned to his friend as they started walking in a different direction.

"She was weird, Natsu," the cat murmured as he cast one last glance in the direction that the girl had taken. It really was weird. After all, no girl had ever spoken to his friend in such a way, so where was she going now?

"Let's just get this job done, Happy."

"Aye, sir!"

 **XXX**

After she left, Lucy found herself walking through the park while reading a magazine. She had bought it soon after she left Cloaky and immediately stuffed her nose into it. While Sorcerer's Weekly had many mages from many different guilds, Lucy's focus was on Fairy Tail. The most popular and by far her most favorite guild. As was almost everyone's. She's always wanted to join but she wasn't sure if it requires a certain way to join due to all the people who were already there. She had no clue if they were even accepting new members. She sighed dreamily as she clutched the magazine to her chest. Oh, how she wished to be a part of it. A rustling sound caught her attention and snapped her out of her daydreams. She looked around and saw familiar purple flames flicker into her vision. At the top was none other than the disliked Salamander. What the freak was he doing creeping about the bushes? Lucy scoffed as he lowered himself down to the ground. Danger. Danger. Danger.

"What do you want?" She asked, ignoring the danger siren in her head.

"I came to see if you wanted to come to my party. I wasn't sure if you were coming or not." How creepy was that? She could almost hear an underlying motive behind his words.

"I'm not," the blond spat as she turned her body away from his.

"Why?" Was he whining? How pathetic.

"Who sends that many women against one man like that? Then you just fled. Talk about cowardly." She pretended to check her nails even though there wasn't any color on them.

"W–well. When you say it like that... You know... I'm a member of Fairy Tail." It was a shame that she didn't notice how when he stared at the magazine in her hands, his face light up and a sly smirk settled on his face.

"Really?" Large stars jump into the blonde's eyes. Yup. Spelled again. And this time, there was no Cloaky to snap her out of this.

"Yeah. I could get you in if you came to the party." He even had to turn his body away from hers so she didn't see the evil smirk upon his lips. Not that she could at this point anyway.

"OK. I'll go," she relented.

"Great! I'll see you there," he answered. He may have almost experienced a setback with that Pinky, but it was all good now. With that, he turned and walked away, or fired away, or something. As he left the stars faded, and she blinked to clear the rest of them. Lucy sighed in defeat. It wasn't fair.

"Darn! I fell for it! I was so close too!" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh well. At least I'm going to join Fairy Tail! I just need to suck it up and go to the party," she muttered to herself before she squealed as the stars returned.

"I'm going to join Fairy Tail!" As she fangirled she had no idea she was being watched. Who could it be? Once satisfied with his new information he went back to report. It was possible that his boss would love this. Or not.

 **XXX**

Later that night two figures still leaning against the railing overlooking the ocean. So far, their day had been a total bust. Nothing had turned out like they planned.

"So she wants to join Fairy Tail," the first voice murmured.

"Aye sir," the second voice confirmed.

"It'll be interesting to have someone stand up to me within the guild walls. After all, Happy, Lisanna has only done it once and no one has tried since. They are mostly worried about looking strong in the eyes of others rather than holding their ground."

 _"Those who can't stand for themselves are worth to be near you. Those who fake a backbone don't have the skills to back it up. The ones who show no fear are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. It's up to you to find out which."_

"But Natsu, I thought you didn't want anyone to oppose you. If you wanted people to oppose you, then why do you beat them so badly?"

"Because it is the means by which they start the fight. They want glory and acknowledgment. She wasn't about to let a stranger walk over her. And, I want to know what else she brings to the table."

"Aye Sir!"

"Man! I wish I was at the party!" A woman whines to her friend next to the pair. Couldn't these humans find their own places to whine and gripe? Why did it always have to be right next to his person?

"Actually I'm glad you didn't." Natsu and Happy's ears pricked up as they hear the words. Didn't most people gush over why they did or didn't go to various parties? Who knew if this party was any good anyway?

"Why?" the friend asked back.

"I heard that several girls went missing in the last time that Salamander came to a town." And how would she know that? These human girls and their gossip. Couldn't they find better things to do with their time?

"So? That could be from–"

"He threw a huge party there too." Were they still talking about the Salamander?

"He said he was from Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail mages don't lie!" Ha! Who would ever spread that rumor? Everybody lies, even Fairy Tail mages.

"Fairy Tail?" Natsu and Happy mumble in unison. Wait, was the Salamander from Fairy Tail? Now that was odd.

"Did you see the guild mark? I heard that every Fairy Tail mage has the guild mark where everyone can see it. Something about being proud of their guild. I also heard they do it to rub it in other people's faces." Really? Who even came up with these stupid rumors? And felt the need to spread them?

"I don't think it's the latter." How would they know? Though it really didn't sound like something that they would do.

"You're probably right. Come on. Let's get going." Finally. Plus, of course, the second girl was right. It seemed like the second girl was more knowledgeable than the first. At least there weren't only stupid people in the world.

"What should we do now?" Was that really even a question?

"I don't know. Maybe..." The voices faded off into the distance. It was a good thing that they had to go somewhere else.

"Natsu? Doesn't that sound familiar?" Natsu nodded.

 _"Liers are poison."_

"Isn't Lucy going to the party?" Another nod. What? Nodding was more convenient.

 _"Poison must be removed at all costs, lest it infect everything it comes into contact with."_

"What do you want to do about it, Happy?" The dragon asked not looking at his friend.

 _"The only question you should have is, how soon can you remove the poison?"_

"Let's go pound his face in!"

 _"Poison may be effective, but there are very few should be allowed to use it."_

"We got a promise to keep. Don't we, Happy?"

 **XXX**

At that very moment, a certain blonde sat on the couch the board of ship waiting for her host to arrive. She wore a long dark purple dress with a medium-low v–neckline and a slit on the right side that ended about to her knee. In her hand with a black clutch and a silver necklace was wrapped around her neck. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair just as the door burst open. Talk about a grand entrance. It wasn't even all that great.

"My dear, you made it! Now let me introduce myself. I am Salamander of Fairy Tail. Although you already know that. However, I never got your name." Ha! Like this loser deserved to know her name.

"Cindy. Cindy Post." Lucy winced internally at her fake name. She didn't know where she came up with that name or why she said it, but she knew that it didn't sound real. Even to her.

"Well, Cindy. I'm glad you could join us. Would you care for a drink?" Why did he have to ask that question in such a creepy voice?

"No thanks," she answered with a wave of her hand.

"Nonsense! You have to try it." He raises his fingers and three small orbs of whine floated up from her glass. She opened her mouth as the small orbs floated to it. At the last second, Lucy slashed her hand across the orbs, dissipating them. She stood and glared at him.

"I know what this is," she spat.

"Oh do you now?"

"Those rings on your fingers. They're sleeping and charm spells. Both of which are illegal. Which makes me wonder where you got them. Which also begs the question of what you would need them for."

"I knew you were too smart for your own good. You'll make a fine addition." At that moment the door opened and several men walked into the room. Each carried several women in their arms.

"What are you going to do to them?" Anger bubbled through her body as more and more information was given to her. Why was this the situation that she managed to get herself involved it? Couldn't she just find a situation where it didn't end horribly? Her usual situation where a lot similar to finding a puppy on the street and discovering that it either had rabies or was sent to kill her. Sometimes they were that extreme.

"Not much. Just sell them to the highest bidder."

"You're a slave trader."

"Yes indeed, Cindy. And you're going to join their ranks."

"Not if I can help it." Lucy dug her fingers into her purse to find...nothing. Absolutely nothing. Lucy gasped.

"Looking for something?" When Lucy looked up she saw that he was twirling a ring of keys around his finger.

"How did you–"

"When you went to the bathroom I went through your purse." Now, why would he do that? What did he have to gain by going through her purse?

"Give them back."

"I see you're a Celestial Spirit mage. Don't see many of them anymore. It's too bad really." he sighed dramatically. Who knew he had to be such a drama queen?

"Why?"

"Because they are contracted to you, they provide no use to me." With that, he proceeded to throw Lucy's keys out through the open window. They floated silently through the air before they landed with a plop in the ocean.

"No!" Lucy yelled. She moved to lunge forward after her keys only to be jerked backward by some unknown force. She turned her head to see that one man stood behind her who now held arms behind her back. When had that happened?

"Calm down. It's not like you need them anymore, where you're going." He cackled evilly. Aw, it wasn't even cute how he thought he won.

"You know, that was a dirty trick you pulled. Didn't your mama teach you how to play nice?" A high pitch voice taunted as it bounced loudly off the walls around them.

"What?" Salamander spun in a circle trying to find the voice. Ha, as if that was going to help him.

"Show yourself, Coward!" he shouted to the ceiling.

"Uh-oh. Yooouuu'rrreee in trooouuubbblleee. It isn't nice to call people names," the voice said. Lucy grinned as she recognized the voice. Now this, was a nice surprise.

"What do you mean?" When the voice didn't respond to Salamander's she knew something was going to happen. Deciding to take immediate action, she stomped on the foot of her captor and drove her elbow into the man's stomach. He groaned in pain while loosening his grip and immediately she dove to the floor.

"What are you–" Salamander never got to finish his sentence as at that moment the ceiling exploded. Downwards. Wood scattered in all directions the splinters and the boards flying in every direction and in the center of the destruction was a familiar cloaked man. He was in a crouching position with his hair blowing in the new breeze he created.

"Happy."

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew in through the open window and grabbed one girl in his paws and another girl by wrapping his tail around her waist. He flew off to some unknown destination and came back a few minutes later to do the same thing. So, while Happy moved the girls to an unknown location, Lucy watched the scene in front of her. It really wasn't a sight to see. Salamander stood off to the side while his lackeys attacked Pinky or Cloaky or whatever the heck his real name was. Pinky didn't seem to be doing anything either. He dodged, blocked and occasionally landed a blow that would knock out the henchmen. Were all fights this boring? She knew that it wasn't this way when she got into trouble. Soon she felt something wrap around her waist and she found herself being pulled from the room. Why couldn't her escape wait just a few minutes? She looked up to see Happy carrying her out over the sea. She then looked around to see none of the women anywhere. Where was everyone?

"Happy?" The cat looked down at her.

"Where are the other women?"

"I couldn't carry them for very long so I moved them to another part of the ship." If he moved the other women to the other part of the ship, why wasn't she? What was so special about her? Lucy looked at the water. Her keys were still down there and she would let the earth freeze over before she just left them there.

"Drop me," she commanded as she stared down at the water.

"What?" Surely he hadn't heard her correctly. What could she possibly gain from getting dropped in the ocean? Well... she had a lot in reality.

"Drop me, Happy," she repeated.

"No. Why?" He bent his head to look at her and didn't like the response she gave.

"I have to save my keys," was Happy received before she began squirming in his grasp. Which totally wasn't fair. She didn't even give him time to answer. As for Lucy, she could slowly feel herself slipping.

"Stop squirming, Lucy! You're going to fall!" Ha! As if that wasn't the goal already. Where was Happy ten seconds ago where she said she wanted to fall?

"That's the point!" she shouted. It wasn't that long after that she finally, with one last wiggle of her body, that she fell from Happy's grasp and into the ocean.

"Lucy!" He dove after her, but she met the ocean first. Well, what was he supposed to do now? In mid-air, she had maneuvered herself and now she easily dove into the dark water below. Once she was under the water she looked around for her precious keys. Finally, she caught the familiar gleam of gold and silver and swam towards it. How glad she was that she found them so easily. Who knows what might have happened if she had failed to find them. Once they were in her hand she swam to the surface, her lungs burning from lack of air. Her head broke through the waves around her and she greedily swallowed several mouthfuls of air. In the distance, she spotted the boat and pulled out the specific key that she thought would help the most.

"Open! Gate of the Paired Fish! Pisces!" There was a loud doorbell noise and a puff of smoke and out of nowhere came two large eel-like fish. One was black and the other white.

"Pisces, we need to get that boat to the harbor. Do you mind?" With what might have been a nod, the two fish-like eels swam through the air before diving into the water under the boat. From where she was, she could hear the water splash and feel the ripples of force reach her. The water under the boat began to swirl and the speed continued to pick up the longer Pisces kept it up. Soon, the surrounding water began to become affected as well. Massive waves were forming and the boat rocked dangerously. Clearly, it wasn't enough but one had to learn how to be patient. The water continued to spiral and the Lucy could see the boat start to move closer to the dock.

"LUCY!" Someone yelled. She turned in time to see a massive wave drawing ever closer to her floating body. Well, wasn't this a nice development? Suddenly she felt something grab her collar and lift her from the water. She looked up to once again see a small blue cat come to her rescue. Of course, he had been waiting for her but that wasn't really the point, now was it?

"What did you do?" he asked as he flew from the growing waves.

"I helped." She looked at the boat to see it in the air with swirling water still under it much like the Salamander's "red carpet." It was fast approaching the harbor and not the dock like Lucy had intended. Well, crap. So much for a simple, clean approach. She could tell this was going to get really messy, really fast. So much for the obvious. Once the ship was over the harbor the water disappeared and the ship crashed to the ground while flattening some building along the way. At least no one could really pinpoint her for the damage.

"Natsu!" Happy called. Now, she knew that this Natsu person wasn't really dead but being unconscious was apparently just as bad. Happy set Lucy down and they slowly approached the ship that was now lying on its side. Or, at least they hoped that no one died. Now that really would be a tragedy. Suddenly the side exploded and a figure came flying out. Happy and Lucy dodged the flying debris and when the dust settled they saw the "Salamander" stand and brush some dirt on his body. Well, great. Why did be have to be the one who was still awake? Lucy looked at the boat once more and standing on top was a tall figure with glowing red eyes and his cloak billowing around him. Talk about a second amazing entrance.

"So, I heard that you were part of Fairy Tail, Salamander." His voice was a deep growl that sent pleasant shivers down the blonde's spine. Just don't ask why. At this point, no one has even the slightest clue.

"That's right," the man sniffed.

"Only there seems to be a huge problem with your story."

"Which is?"

"I'm part of Fairy Tail and I've never seen you before in my life. So, who are you really?" A valid point and one that deserves an equally valid question.

"If you're part of Fairy Tail, then where is your stamp?" Pinky then ripped off his cloak and threw it, to which Happy caught. There, on his right shoulder, was a glowing black Fairy Tail stamp that stood out perfectly despite the growing shadows around them. Well, crap. What were these losers going to do now? Some of the henchmen who were now awake and crawling away looked at the stamp in fear.

"Oh shit, Bora. He's the real deal." Wow, what a huge mistake on the henchmen's part.

"Don't say my name, you idiot!" Bora hissed, rounding on his men.

"Bora? As in Bora the Prominence?" Natsu cocked his head as Happy asked the question that plagued the minds both of the Fairy Tail members. Of course, it was safe to assume that if one was with Fairy Tail that the other would be as well.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag. Yes, that is my true name. Bora the Prominence," Bora answered with a bow at the end. Talk about cocky.

"I've been looking for you, you know. Looks like I've finally caught up to you. It's a good thing that the job doesn't say how badly hurt you can be to turn in."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Hell Prominence!" A pink magic seal appeared in front of him and purple energy began to gather in front of it. It grew a little and finally released a large, long purple laser-like beam at Natsu. Natsu easily dodged and watched as everything that the beam touched exploded. Bora cackled loudly at the destruction he was causing.

"Chaos Dragon's Claw!" A second later, a black ancient looking magic seal with blue marking appeared in front of him. From it shot multiple long dark, oxford colored tendrils with claws that looked like dragon claws at the end. It moved and bent like water, its shape hardly changing. Bora tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough as one of the claws managed to grab him. It lifted him high into the air before throwing him to the ground. Bora wheezed trying to get air back into his lungs before spitting out his next spell.

"Prominence Typhoon!" Bora stretched his arms wide and his seal formed in front of him once more. After he stopped, he clapped his hands together and a large spiraling column of fire appears and flies towards Natsu. However, the Chaos Dragon doesn't move and instead stands his ground. Taking a deep breath he shouted,

"Chaos Dragon's Roar!" Out of his mouth shot a deep mahogany colored fire with black swirls deep inside and they easily overtake the purple column of fire spinning towards him, before directly hitting Bora. It was such an easy win as Bora flew backward into a building and doesn't get up. Natsu easily jumps down from the landlocked, overturned boat and joins Lucy and Happy as they admire the Dragon's work.

"Come. We have to turn him in," Natsu orders as he approaches.

"Aye, sir!" Happy says with a salute. Natsu gives something that barely represents a nod before he grabbed Bora and threw him over his shoulder. They started walking one way and Lucy glances at them before starting to walk in the opposite direction. She didn't know where she was going now but she was going somewhere. Hopefully somewhere with adventure.

"Hey!" Something called from behind her. It almost sounded as if Happy's voice floated to her ears. She shook her head to clear it of delusions. Like he would be calling after her.

"Lucy!" Happy's voice sounded closer this time. She paused and looked back to see Happy flying towards her. Why was he coming after her? Turning around she waited for Happy.

"Lucy." Happy panted as he flew up to her and collapsed in her arms.

"What's up, Happy?"

"Why aren't you coming with us?" Happy asked when he finally caught his breath.

"Well, I didn't think you would want me too. After all, I got invited to Fairy Tail by someone who wasn't in Fairy Tail so I guess it means that I wasn't invited at all. Why bother following you if I wasn't invited?" she responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why don't you come with us then?"

"What?" Lucy looked down at him in shock. Was he actually asking her this?

"How would you like to join Fairy Tail. For real this time?" Excitement began to fill his body and a smile quickly overtook him. One that easily spread to Lucy as well.

"I would love too!" the blonde exclaimed.

"Then you better hurry. Natsu doesn't like to be kept waiting. Like at all."

"Ok!" With the huge smile still on her face, Lucy ran after Natsu with Happy still in her arms. Her life that had previously been lonely and adventureless now was now headed in the opposite direction. She was in for a life full of excitement, happiness, and adventure. She just didn't know the full extent of it yet.

 **Whatcha think? Apparently, a few days would be too long and I just found myself adding what I was missing. Cool or weird? Doesn't really matter. Also, since Natsu is stronger in this story, the Bora and Natsu battle isn't as long. It should also be noted that this edit added another 2,62** **0 some words.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Favorite, Follow, Review**

 **~Edited 12/29/2017**

 **~Peace Out!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Good morning my beautiful _Dragon Scales_ fanbase. I hope you missed me since I missed all of you. Guess what? I have another chapter for you! And can you believe it? I got 26 new followers after posting chapter 3 (technically chapter 4) Don't worry, I won't thank all of them until the end since I know how you are all waiting for the story to start. In all reality I was planning on posting this chapter sooner but I got distracted and never had time to type it up. I had it done just not typed. Enough of my rambling. Onto the story!**

 **Disclaimer: No rights of Fairy Tail belong to Jazmin Gato in any way but the ideas are all mine.**

 **~~Chapter 5~~**

After dropping off Bora, the trio started their journey back to Fairy Tail. Natsu's cloak was back around his shoulders, Happy was flying, and Lucy was skipping down the dirt path. Unfortunately for her it was irritating Natsu. He wasn't used to people being happy around him. Normal people feared him and yet this girl didn't. She didn't react the normal way either. She didn't scream, she didn't cry, she didn't even flinch when he yelled at her. So far all she had done was skip and hum. And with the occasional conversation with Happy she didn't really talk to Natsu either.

Which in itself posed another different almost problem. So it wasn't exactly a problem but it wasn't something that Natsu was used to. With Lisanna it was a nightmare. With the never ending questions and the constant irritations, he never got a break. However, with this girl it was the opposite. She kept to herself and kept herself busy. However, that happy skipping that she was doing was really starting to get on his nerves. How the hell could a complete stranger be so relaxed around him? Most people, normal people, feared him. Even walking past someone on the street should strike fear into some pathetic stranger's heart. So who was this strange girl and why is she still skipping?!

"Why are you skipping?"

"'Cuz I'm going to Fairy Tail!" She sang.

"Stop it."

"Ok." With a smile on her face she stopped skipping. However, in telling her to stop, he had drawn attention to himself. Now she was walking by his side. Yet, he didn't acknowledge her.

"How old are you?"

"He's 18."

"I see. I'm 17. How old are you, Happy?" She asked turning attention to the cat.

"I'm eight in human years. But those are the only years I know," Happy responded.

"So you're still a kid."

"Um hm."

"Natsu, what's your favorite color?"

"Black," Happy answered.

"Favorite book?"

"Doesn't read."

"Favorite person?"

"Doesn't like people."

"Favorite place to be?"

"Training Arena."

"Favorite animal?"

"Dragons."

"Why?"

"He was raised by one. Plus they're cool." Lucy's eyes grew wide.

"Which type was he raised by?"

"The Chaos Dragon, Acnologia," Natsu inserted. Up until this point Natsu had intended to let Happy answer Lucy's questions. In all reality, with the depth of Natsu's voice, he had hoped that he could create enough fear to shut her up. What he got was a widening of the eyes, a gaping of the mouth and a freezing of movement before a huge grin crawled into her face. Then her speech returned.

"You're a Dragon Slayer?" Natsu nodded. Confusion flashed across his face before disappearing. Who was this girl? Why wasn't she scared of him? Then the skipping began again.

"I'm friends with a Dragon slayer!" She sang.

"We aren't friends!"

"Fine then," she responded without a pause in her skipping.

"I know a Dragon Slayer! I know a dragon Slayer!" She sang. Then she closed her mouth but she'd skipping didn't stop. After a while her stamina faded and her skipping came to a close. And while Natsu had been glad, his moment of relief only lasted a second. For not even a minute after the skipping ended, the humming took it's place. Originally the humming had been worse than the skipping. Then it began to take form. Even though her humming never turned to singing the song she sang was familiar. It calmed him and he couldn't remember where he heard it. What was worse was that he allowed himself to become distracted by this song.

He was lost in his thoughts and didn't hear Happy calling him, couldn't see they were surrounded and didn't notice until it was too late. What pulled him from his thoughts was when Lucy crashed into him. When he looked around he saw that they were surrounded by a huge number of bandits. Lucy apparently didn't dodge a blast of magic fast enough and crashed into Natsu as a result. Lucy was up before he could tell her and pulled out a gold key from a brown pouch on her belt.

"Open! Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"

"I was born to be wicked!" After a puff of smoke and a doorbell ring a man with a striking resemblance appearance to a scorpion came out of nowhere. Half of his hair was red and the other half white. He had a metal looking tail and an odd red skirt thing.

"Blast'em please."

"Wicked request, Lucy." Lucy nodded and lashed her whip and knocked down some opponents. By this point Natsu had risen and assessed the situation. They were surrounded on all sides and there seemed to be too many bodies to count. Lucy had already knocked out about ten or so while Happy got five. It seemed like a good number. A sudden pressure on Natsu's back caused him to stumble forward before turning to face whatever hit him.

"Someone take down the Pinky! He's not even fighting!" Some bandit yelled. That whole sentence set Natsu's blood to boil. First, his hair wasn't pink. Second, no one had even attacked him yet. How dare these humans accuse him of not fighting? However, as soon as the sentence was in the air, Natsu was soon surrounded. Natsu smirked. These humans had no idea who they were dealing with. Natsu easily dodged the attacks and the bandits were becoming more and more frustrated.

"Quit dodging, you pink haired freak!" Natsu stopped dead in his tracks. One bandit saw this as an opportunity and moved to land a blow to Natsu's unguarded stomach. With his bangs covering his eyes, Natsu stop the attack by grabbing the bandits fist.

"Uh oh. You guys are in trooouuubbblleee," came Happy's voice. Natsu then broke the bandits arm and threw him backward. No one took notice of their screaming friend.

"Chaos Dragon's Scythe!" A curved blast of purplish-blue energy quickly made its way to Natsu's enemies.

"Kaleidoscope!" Just as Natsu was about to launch another attack he saw another Natsu in front of him. He turned to realize he was now trapped inside a cage of mirrors.

"Haha! These mirrors are impossible to break!" Came a female voice.

"Chaos Dragon Spearhead." With a magic seal in front of his hand, thousands of arrow shaped projectiles were launched at the mirrors. The mirror shattered as easily as ripping paper. The caster of looked shocked as the dragon-slayer stepped clear of his reflective prison.

"H–How? N–No one's been able to b–break my mirrors!"

"Just did. Chaos Dragon's Vortex." A flurry of flames swirled into a Vortex, hitting the girl had on. She screamed as the black fire licked at her skin before dissolving. She panted for a moment before she screamed again.

"Wh–what's...g–going...o–on?" She said between screams. He didn't respond but instead fought more Bandits. The ones who dare mock him with how strong they claimed their magic was, ended up like the first girl. At some point he was hit with a sound spell which left him temporarily deaf. It really didn't affect him but rather served as an annoyance. Yet, despite his other senses working, it proved to be a bit more difficult to fight without sound. The scents of the bandits were beginning to mingle and the people wouldn't stop coming. How was there so many left? Why did there seem more than originally? How he miscounted? Impossible.

Finally there was a pause in the flow. It almost seemed like the fighting ended. But it seems too easy. The blonde came to a stop in front of him. Her hair was a bit wilder but not out of place. Her clothes had some cuts but weren't ripped completely. As for actual cuts, she wasn't bleeding but she sported some bruises and dirt coated patches of her clothes and skin. She had long since changed from the dress he had seen on her when they were on the boat. She now wore a black tank-top, short jean shorts and black knee-high boots. A silver belt was wrapped around her waist which carried a black Whip and a pouch of keys on one side and a silver cylinder hung on the other side. Her white jacket with blue cross patterns and trim lay discarded in a heap after becoming ripped beyond repair.

Now as he watched her, she glared at him. What was her deal? He hasn't done anything wrong so why was she glaring at him? Would he need to teach her a lesson as well? Her hand inched towards her whip. What was she planning? Didn't she know that he could see her every movement? Natsu watched as she unclipped her whip from her belt and dropped one end. Was she turning against him when he'd saved her and was bringing her to his Guild? Has she dared abused his kindness? He growled. He would show her. He would prove to her that he wasn't one to be trifled with. She would regret turning against him. She would regret meeting him as he slowly tortured her. No one would miss her, right?

Suddenly she lashed her whip forward. He ducked as the whip was very clearly aimed at his head. However, now as he was looking at her, he saw that she was looking over his head at something behind him. She shouted something but to Natsu the sound was muffled. She yanked her arm to the side and a man came flying into view. He crashed to the ground and Natsu could see that the whip was wrapped around his neck. He smirked. Maybe this blonde had a hidden darkside. The Guild as it was, to put it simply, was boring. Sure everyone had a darkside but they kept them hidden and well under wraps. This girl obviously haven't had much training to keep in check. So maybe he could bring out her darkside just to see what it was like. Just for his personal enjoyment.

She was still yelling and, while most of his hearing returned, she still sounded far away. As a new thought ran acrossed Natsu's mind, he searched the ground for Happy. Natsu found Happy curled in a tree with dirt coating his fur and bruises were few but were visible. Natsu smiled as his gaze returned to Lucy. He figured that if he left her alone that he could have a glimpse of her darkside. Surely it would be interesting. It made him wonder how it was even created. She seemed like a kind-hearted person, of course, kind-hearted people made him sick but still. He could see it in her eyes. He could smell it mingling with her scent. He had already noticed that every darkside had their own unique scent that accompanied the original. Hers smelled of cinnamon mixed with the original vanilla.

Currently the faint cinnamon now mixed heavily with the Vanilla. How far would she go? Just how much Darkness was within her? All of a sudden noise hit his ears like a train. All different sounds at different pitches, different volumes, different tempos, different hosts, came flooding into his ears all the same time. It was almost too much to handle properly. Almost.

"Gahh!" Natsu covered his ears with his hands and attempt to block out the sound that was invading his ears.

"Natsu!" Happy flew down next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"...Fine," Natsu grit out. "Give me...a minute." A few seconds later Natsu's hearing adjusted.

"...nd you call yourself a bandit. What's the matter? Too chicken to admit just how bad of a bandit you truly are?" She had taken her whip off his neck and lashed at the ground inches in front of him and stopped his crawling in that direction. The man whimpered.

"Aw, You could escape that way? I don't think so!" Lucy cackled. Now let's backtrack a little bit. Lucy is usually a non-violent person, so what happened during those few minutes Natsu wasn't watching her during the battle?

Lucy hummed her favorite song that her mother used to always sing to her. Her hair swished back and forth as she walked. A sudden rustling sound caught her attention. She stopped walking but kept humming as to not raise suspicion. It could be something harmless but there was the off chance that it wasn't. The rustling came again, louder this time. Her eyes narrowed and flicked back and forth between the two bushes. A bad feeling crawled up her spine.

"Well, what do we have here? What's it pretty lady like you doing out here in the dark woods?" A voice came from the shadows. Lucy whirled around to find the voice.

"Why don't you come with us instead of hanging with that lame Pinky?" The bushes rustled again and multiple people emerged from them. They all had their own style of clothes so it was hard to focus on just one.

"Because my standards far exceed what you're capable of." Lucy remarks back. Back when she still lives with her parents there was a few people who prepared her for the world. One of them left a far greater impression than the rest. His name is Caleb but we'll get to him later.

"Aw, Don't be like that. I promise that we'll have a great time together."

"Oh but I'm having a lot of fun without a loser like you," Lucy responded.

"Why you little-"

"What? Can't handle rejection? Pity."

"I'll show you it's pitiful!" A blast of magic came out of nowhere and hit Lucy square in the chest. She was thrown backwards until she collided with Natsu. She scrambled up and pulled out a gold key.

"Open! Game of the Scorpion! Scorpio!" After a puff of smoke and the doorbell ring later a man stood in front of Lucy. He was relatively tall with red hair on one side and white hair on the other. He also had a large gun on this back in the shape of a scorpion tail. He wore no shirt, black shorts, a flower shaped collar that is red and trimmed with gold was around his neck and there was bandage-like material wrapped around his arms and legs. He also had a red sheet-like material around his waist that was kept up by his large belt that had the Scorpio symbol on it. He stood with his arms crossed and his middle and ring fingers folded back resembling scorpion pinchers.

"Blast'em please."

"Wicked request, Lucy." As Scorpio used his magic, Lucy used her whip and knocked away some opponents.

"You're going to pay for embarrassing us, you bitch."

"That is if you can actually land a hit, scumbag." Letting out an awkward battle cry, he charged Lucy. Using her whip she struck him across the face and sent him sprawling.

"Open! Gate of The Golden Bull! Taurus!" This time a cow man appeared.

"Mooo! Yooouu have an excellent booody, miss Luucy."

"We'll come back to that. First, we need to take out the trash."

"Yooouu got it, miss Luucy." With the two-spirits and Lucy working together they quickly took down a few of their enemies. With, of course, Natsu and Happy fighting their own enemies. Soon, Lucy heard to spell she knew she had to avoid.

"Enemy Silence!"

"Open! Gate of the clock! Horologium!" Lucy entered Horologium just as a pink cloud surrounded her. Once it was gone she got out.

"Natsu!" she called. No response.

"Natsu!" When he didn't respond she went to find him. Finally she found him. He seemed fine yet she noticed something was off about his fighting. While he still fought she noticed him getting hit more often. That's when she realized it. He was fighting without sound! Aggravated, Lucy returned to the battle. A few seconds later the flow of the bandits stopped. Lucy came to a stop in front of Natsu. She looked at him and saw someone attempting to sneak up on him. Her gaze turned to a glare as she watched him. Carefully her hand in to grab the whip that she had just sheathed. How dare that coward try to sneak up on Natsu? Lucy unclipped her whip and dropped one end. Right when the mystery man was about to cast a spell, Lucy lashed her whip at him. When Natsu dodged and it gave the perfect shot to wrap her whip around his neck.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Lucy asked. She yanked back her whip and the man came flying and crashed to the ground in front of her.

"You the sound mage?" He nodded.

"Restore my friends hearing!"

"I d–did already. I gave it back just before almost casting my other s–spell."

"Well, looks like we're going to have some fun. Aren't we?" Lucy smirked. Then she released the hold on the man's neck.

"What should we do first?" The man scrambled to his feet and took off running. Lucy easily caught his leg and drug him back.

"When does my friend get all of this hearing back?"

"Right n–now!" Standard the man.

"Gahh!"

"S–see?"

"How pitiful are you? And you call yourself a bandit. What's the matter? Too chicken to admit just how bad of a bandit you truly are?" Lucy whipped the ground in front of him. The man whimpered.

"Aw, You could escape that way? I don't think so! You can't leave until I say so." Lucy cackled. The man tried to escape but Lucy again cut off his escape route. The man was on his hands and knees and now Lucy kicked him in the stomach. Natsu sat back and watched. He loved the smell of Chaos in the air. He loved the darkness he saw in this overly cheery blonde. He loved how easily it came to the surface when he was around. Feeling satisfied, Natsu stood and walked over to the blonde. He placed a hand on her lower back and she turned to face him.

"It's time to go. We should get there before dark tomorrow if we leave now."

"Alright. I'm sure if we leave them, the Wolves will pick up the trash. Let's go dark stuff." She turned, grabbing onto his scarf, and started walking in their previous direction. Natsu smirked. While most people would have been burned for touching him, let alone demanding something of him, he was too high on Chaos to care. Natsu looked back to see the man attempting to crawl away.

"Chaos Dragon's Phantom Zero." Natsu held his palm facing the bandits and a concentrated stream of Chaos fire shot towards his victims. The fire consumed the bandits without a sound, excluding the man was crawling away. Luckily for him, they were too far from earshot for Lucy to hear. Soon, however, Lucy let go of his scarf and returned to her infuriating skipping.

"Seriously! Again with the skipping?!" Yelled Natsu.

"I can't help it! I'm just so excited! I'm going to Fairy Tail!" Lucy exclaimed.

"We are not going through this again. Now stop skipping, shut up, and walk normally."

"That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair. Deal with it."

"No."

"What?" Natsu growled looking at her.

"You don't control me. I will do what I want. So if I want to skip, I'm going to skip."

"Who gave you that right?" The rest of the day continued like this. If Lucy did something Natsu didn't like he would stop her. If she refused, they argued. Most of the time she obeyed but not always. Happy bounced between the two of them. When the two got along he was in Lucy's arms. When they argued Happy would be in Natsu's hair or by his side. What an odd group they made. A flying cat, a cruel dragon slayer, and a happy, perky, secretly dark Celestial mage.

* * *

 **So I didn't know how to end it so this is what I came up with. Also, how many of you like what Lucy has become. Don't worry she won't always be like that. She'll bounce back and forth often. Tell me what you think.**

 **Thank you to BeastlyTick59, SolarVix, TigerArrowgirl, lovelyflower5, Hawkstang, Thefollowerofyou25, Leigh Thorpe, Magic126, BlueFlaw, spiritual7, DemonNamedMoon, akozak, thegirlunseen, Kawaii-Turtles, xdtyr8, Delia365, EquinoxOfSpring, Dark Mystique, redcristal, lilybean10. Yuuki Akuma, AnimeTweety, Loso, Wolf19191, shamwoohoo52 and JcL107 for joining the _Dragon Scales_ Fanbase.**

 **I gotta go.**

 **8:00 PM-So, I came back. I read through it and saw so many errors. I hated it so much I just had to fix it. I also forgot to add the favoriteers to the thank yous. So here I go.**

 **Thank you to shamwoohoo52, SolarVix, shade410, TigerArrowgirl, cskov25, lovelyflower5, Thefollowerofyou25, Magic126, BlueFlaw, idrk what to put, DemonNamedMoon, akozak, Kawaii-Turtles, missysj87, morgaroth, lilybean10, Yuuki Akuma, AnimeTweety, Loso, and Wolf19191 for joining my faithful favoriteers.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow Favorite and Review**

 **~Peace Out!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Good morning my faithful fanbase of Dragon Scales. Yes, I realize that it 10 at night but hey, its my catch phrase. Anyway, I have seriously been waiting for this moment for a few days now. I now officially have 75 followers on DS. This may not seem important but if you compare it to my other stories then IT IS HUGE! It now has surpassed TSB in almost every way. And when people read chapter 5 then it will be official. Now you should all thank CaptainFreedJustine for giving you the last review for me to post the next chapter. I'm actually really happy with how this turned out.**

 **Disclaimer: We all know that I had nothing to do with the creation of Fairy Tail**

 **~Chapter 5~**

Finally the trio arrived at the doors of Fairy Tail. Lucy gave up at the doors in wonder. Unfortunately for her, Natsu wasn't a patient man when it came to things he didn't care about. This was one of those times. So after a minute of her gaping, he simply pushed her forward. She stumbled, pushing through the doors, before collapsing on the floor. Other members look up in shock. It wasn't often, if at all, that a random person came crashing through the doors. What was she doing here?

"What was that for!?" The blonde yelled. The guild wondered who exactly she was talking to. But before they had time to think about it a voice answered. The high pitch voice that was what quickly ended their suspicion. Fear arose within them. They all knew who accompanied that voice, and they all thought that the one blond's life in front of them was about to be cut short.

"You took too long!" Happy answered.

"That doesn't mean you can push people down."

"Sure it does."

"Not to me! I've never been here before. It's not my fault that I just want to see stuff."

"You included. You shouldn't take so long to look at things."

"That's not fair!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Natsu!"

"Is too! Wait what?" By this time Natsu had made his way to the bar and ordered his usual Root Beer. So when Lucy called out his name, he didn't turn. Of course everyone was expecting this. So this rose the question of why did she called for him. But what they didn't expect was a certain blonde girl started approaching the silent Dragon Slayer. Then she plopped down on the stool beside him.

"Hey Natsu, if someone takes too long doing something, is it okay if you push them?"

"Yes, now go away."

"I told you!" Happy called.

"Whatever!" Lucy slid off the stool and went to go sit by Happy. Meanwhile, the rest of the guild looked on shock. Again.

"Don't you need your guild stamp?" Happy asked around the fish in his mouth.

"I don't know how to get it."

"Go talk to Mira."

"Who's Mira?"

"That's me," said a new voice. Lucy turned to the voice. Beside her stood a happy white haired woman. She had long slightly curled hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a dark black tube top, a short purple skirt, and leather thigh-high stiletto heels. A bracelet that was shaped like a demonic arm was wrapped around her wrist and on the same hand, a ring sat on her middle finger. A short upward ponytail stood above her forehead. In other words, she was dressed in a nicer version of her younger self. A wooden tray sat on her left hand, opposite her ringed hand that sat on her hip.

"What do you need?"

"Um...my guild stamp?"

"Was that a question?"

"No."

"Oh! This way then." Mira led the way to the bar, and walked behind it. Lucy looked around and noticed that Natsu had left.

"What color and where do you want it?"

"Um...black on my right hand."

"Why black?" Lucy shrugged before pausing.

"Wait...is there a way to make it change colors?" she asked.

"I don't know. I could try it if you want."

"Yes, please."

"What colors then?"

"Pink that turns black."

"Interesting. Give me a moment."

"Ok." Lucy turned to look at her new guild while Mira made the new stamp color. Further down the bar sat a brown-haired woman drinking from a barrel that could easily match her height. She wore a black bikini top and black capris and a brown bag sat at her hip. At a different table sat two one was a boy with dark blue and the other was an actual man with poofy-ish blond hair and a pipe. Across the guild sat a white haired man and a brown haired woman. At the table next to them was two other men. One with green hair and the other wore an odd looking black helmet. The white haired man was tall, buff and kept shouting about something. The woman seemed slightly irritated by this and seemed to voice her displeasure.

"Done." Mira's voice brought Lucy's attention back from the guild. Lucy held out her hand and Mira pressed the stamp on it. Lucy pulled back her hand when Mira was done and smiled. Mira smiled back and Lucy went back to Happy.

"Hey, Happy? What do you know about Mira?" Happy pulled a fish skeleton from his mouth and put it on a pile of other skeletons.

"Well, when she was younger she had a very bad temper and bad mouthed everyone. She has somewhat calmed down, just not completely. Now, she only acts that way to Erza and Natsu. This is why her clothes are somewhat more modest than what she used to wear. It's actually not that different but her attitude has gotten better."

"Seems complicated."

"Eh. Some would say."

"Where's Natsu?" Happy shrugged.

"Around somewhere. He won't go home without me."

"Is that so?"

"Um hm."

"What do you mean he's not here?!" A young voice now drew Lucy's attention. She turned to find the same boy she saw earlier now talking to an old man sitting on the bar counter. The man wore an odd orange and blue striped jacket with a white shirt and a smiley face on it underneath. A pointed hat that matched his jacket sat on his head and a tall staff thing rested in his hand.

"I mean that he hasn't returned from his mission yet!"

"But he's been gone for a week! He said it would only take a few days!"

"You know how strong your father is. Trust him that he will come back soon."

"What if he doesn't!?" The boy sniffled.

"He will. Now scram, you brat!"

"I hate you!" The boy yelled. Unexpectedly he threw a punch that landed hard on the man's cheek. Then the boy ran from the guild in tears.

"Happy?" Lucy asked without turning.

"Romeo Conbolt. His father's a member of the guild. He left on a solo mission a week ago. No one's seen him since."

"Isn't anyone going to look for him?" Happy shrugged. Lucy paused a moment.

"Why don't we?"

"I'll see what Natsu says. Then we can figure out what to do from there," Happy answered.

"Hey, Happy?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I wanna save him. I think that Romeo is right and that he has been gone too long." Lucy nodded as Happy flew to find where Natsu was hiding.

Natsu himself was up on the second floor. He had long since earned his right to be up there and he would use it to the fullest. After Lucy had went to sit by Happy, Natsu took a new Root Beer and sat himself upstairs. He somewhat knew of what was going on but didn't dwell too much on the details. He knew that Lucy got her guild mark, (though in what color or where it was placed he couldn't care less about) and he knew that Romeo's father was still missing. Other than that he really just tuned them out. So when Happy flew up to him, he barely acknowledged him.

"So what are we going to do, Natsu?"

" 'Bout what?"

"About Macao."

"Romeo's dad?"

"Yeah."

"What you expect me to do about it? It's not my problem."

"What better way to make them submit, than to save one of their own?"

"Hm. Keep going."

"Plus, if you save them then they'll be indebted to you." Natsu nodded.

"Very well. Alert Blondie."

"Why Lucy?" A dark smirk slowly crawled across his face.

"Don't you want to see her darkside?" The dark grin now spread to Happy's face.

"Between you and me, we're going to bring out her darkside and we can keep her darkside out. Can you imagine what this guild would be like of one person had an open darkside?" Natsu added.

"That would be awesome! Didn't you try to do the same with other guild members?" Natsu nodded again.

"What happened?"

"The other members got to them first and helped them train to control their darkside. But this time...I'll make sure they don't get that chance," Natsu growled, his voice deepening.

"You can't stop her association with the guild."

"But I can sure as hell lessen the chance they have the longer she stays with us." Natsu continued to growl as the thought grew and festered in his mind. As he growled the air around him began to darken. The floor heated beneath him and what he touched sparked with electricity.

"-su...atsu...Natsu!"

"What!?" Natsu finally turned his attention to the flying exceed.

"When do we leave!?"

"What?" The words seemed to confuse him at first.

"When...do we...leave?" Happy asked slower. Their previous conversation slowly came back to him.

"...oh...Now," Natsu answered after a moment. "The sooner we get out of here the sooner that we can get to work."

"Aye sir!" As Happy flew away, Natsu took the time to cool down a bit. It had been a while since the last time he had gotten like that. And even last time wasn't as bad as this. However, he hated when any of his plans went awry. The story that he had just told Happy was in fact true. He had attempted to bring the darkside out in others. However, due to this guild's nature and the fact that he never got too close to his victims, he never succeeded. Yet, this blond was different and he was determined to get in right. Natsu stood, stretched, and walked to the railing. Perching on top of it, Natsu spotted Happy walking to Lucy. There was a smile on her face, she was fidgeting and was bouncing in her chair. What was she so happy about? It was highly unlikely that she was happy to be with him, and she didn't know Macao to be this excited about saving him. So what was it? Natsu jumped off the railing and landed neatly on the floor near Lucy's table. She tuned, hardly flinching, and smiled at him.

"Hey, Chaos!" A loud voice rang across the guild. Natsu sighed in annoyance. Then, he began walking towards the door. Lucy stood and looked for the voice.

"Don't walk away from me! Ice make: Lance!" Out of nowhere long curved lances shot through the air. They flew at Natsu but he didn't turn. Just as they were about to hit him large black tendrils grabbed the bluish white spears. They moved and flowed like water as they grabbed the spears and broke them. Natsu slowly turned to face the not so mysterious man. Behind him stood a tall navy haired man. He wore no shirt and black pants, surprisingly. Natsu growled menacingly and the other man almost flinched.

"What do you want, Gray?" Happy asked.

"I want Natsu to fight me!" Both Happy and Natsu rolled their eyes. Lucy's widened in surprise.

"We're busy."

"I don't care."

"How annoying." Natsu sighed out.

"Who are you calling annoying, Chaos!?"

"You, you stupid, cowardly, pathetic shipper. You got nothing to prove, you have nothing to gain and you don't have anything to show. Why waste my time?" Natsu growled out.

"Coward! Why use words when you can use fists?" There was that word again. Coward. That word got under his skin so easily. People kept calling him that yet they made it clear that they didn't know the true meaning. Lucy watched as Natsu's eyes slitted and saw the black scales lightly dust his cheeks and slowly slide down his neck.

"I'll show you who's the real coward, Ice Block. Chaos Dragon's Claw." The black clawed tendrils sprung from the ground and launched at Gray.

"Ice Make: Sword!" A bluish white sword formed out of thin air and quickly Gray grabbed it and slashed at the tendrils. Many were sliced and dissipated. One, however, managed to grab Gray while another removed his sword from his grasp. The clawed tendril holding Gray squeezed him before throwing him into a wall.

"Chaos Dragon Apocalypse technique: Chaos Blast." Natsu held out his hand and large orbs a purplish blue magic formed around it. Natsu closed his fist and all at once the orbs flew at Gray. They thundered against the area creating a massive dust cloud. Natsu paused but kept his guard up. A second later there was a shout.

"Ice Make: Bazooka!" A cannon ball of ice launch towards Natsu. Natsu sighed and jumped over it.

"Ice Make: Ice Bringer!" From the dust cloud that had yet to clear, jumped Gray. He slashed his swords at Natsu who dodged. Then, spotting opening, Natsu took it.

"Chaos Dragon's Piercing Blast." With one of Natsu's legs encased with bluish black magic he landed a roundhouse kick to Gray's stomach. Gray gasped in pain but remained standing.

"Chaos Dragon's Chaotic Flurry." With fists encased with bluish black magic he landed rapid punches in quick succession on Gray's body. Natsu then slipped behind Gray.

"Chaos Dragon's Grip Strike." Natsu hit Gray's back and he started to lean forward giving Natsu the perfect place to land the final blow.

"Chaos Dragon's Guillotine." Natsu then encased his arms in the same bluish black magic as earlier and brought one arm down Gray's neck and the other on Gray's back. Gray crashed to the ground, creating another huge dust cloud. Once the dust was cleared everyone saw the deep crater that Gray lay inside.

"Happy, get her. We're leaving. Now"

"Aye sir." Everyone looked bewildered. Lisanna wasn't back from her mission. So who was Natsu talking about?

"Hey!" Everyone turned to see Happy with his tail around a blonde girl's waist. Who was she? Why was he carrying her?

"I can walk myself, Happy!" Lucy yelled at happy flew to Natsu. The guild knew that she was the new member, but they didn't know her connection to Natsu. how could you already know Happy? How long have they known each other?

"Natsu! What is the meaning of this!? I can walk myself!" As Lucy's words floated across the guild, everyone turned to watch. They were all frozen to their chairs as they watched anxiously for Natsu to blow up.

"We're leaving," came Natsu's reply.

"Even if we are, I can walk myself, you dark Serpent! Let me go!" Natsu didn't respond but simply walked towards the door. The whole guilds jaws dropped. Here was a girl, whom had just joined the guild, whom had arrived with Chaos on her tail, going on a mission with said Chaos and who wasn't afraid of speaking her mind. Who was she? Even yelling a name didn't work on him.

"Let me go or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Natsu asked.

"I'll try to strangle you, salmon haired jerky dragon."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Let me go and I'll show you just how serious I am." Natsu nodded and Lucy dropped from Happy's grasp. She landed neatly on the floor and pulled out two keys. One gold and one silver.

"Open. Gate of the paired fish. Pisces. Open. Gate of the Canis minor. Nikora." Everyone stared in awe as they stared at the large eel like fish. Yet, they didn't even notice the little snowman figure at her feet.

"What do you plan on doing with them, Blondie?" Lucy didn't respond but instead gestured at Natsu. The fish nodded and rushed at Natsu. Then they rammed into the ground where he used to stand. As Natsu moved the fish followed him and while one threw their body at where he was, the other threw their body at where Natsu was going to be. Pisces predictions were correct as when the white one fish aimed for where he currently stood, Natsu jumped. At the same time the black fish threw itself at the space where Natsu was going to be. Unable to dodge, Natsu was thrown to the floor. Out of nowhere a snowman thing was thrown into his face and he had just enough time to toss it away from himself before dodging another attack.

"Chaos Dragon's Spearhead." Pisces dodged and again threw themselves at Natsu. When Natsu stood again they didn't attack. Natsu stood in confusion but didn't let his guard down. That is until he felt a tight pressure against his neck. Now Lucy didn't really do much during this battle. She knew she was no match for Natsu's strength or power therefore making it completely useless and insane to attack him head-on. Rather, Lucy focused on getting him into the correct position for her plan to work. So while Pisces had been attacking Natsu, Lucy had remained where she stood. When Natsu had been knocked down she had thrown the Snowman thing at Natsu to throw off his sense of direction. It worked and Pisces proceeded to drive Natsu towards Lucy. After Natsu threw his attack, Pisces created one last distraction as Lucy reached around Natsu's neck. She grabbed the ends of his scarf and when Pisces stop attacking she pulled until she was sure of her victory.

Natsu smirked and turned towards her. Now, this was a new development. Someone, who was nowhere near his skill level had managed to get the drop on him. Normally, he would have been beyond angry. However, that wondrous smell of cinnamon and vanilla was rolling off of her in waves. This was it. He had brought out her darkside once again but this time, everyone was watching. Everyone could see how she hadn't trained her darkside. Now, with them going on a mission, they couldn't train her and it would just be him and Happy drawing out for darkside. He could smell their fear at his reaction. Yet, it only added to the chaos and he loved it.

"Well, would you look at that? I told you I could strangle you," came the blond's voice.

"You wish you could. You're not strong enough to strangle me."

"I'm in the position to."

"So you are, Blondie. What now?"

"Now, we leave. I was just proving a point."

"And what point would that be?"

"That I can walk myself and handle myself, somewhat, against you," she responded with a poke to his chest.

"Somewhat is correct indeed. You are nowhere near able to take me on."

"You think I don't know that?" She took a step into his personal bubble.

"I couldn't take you on in your sleep. Why do you think I used the strategy I did? The most I can do without magic is invade your personal space and touch your stuff." Natsu smirked. No one has ever admitted how weak their magic was against him before. They all claimed that they would beat him and how they would get stronger and how eventually he would lose. Yet, here this blonde stood saying how she didn't even come close to his magic power. As for his personal space and her touching his things he could let it slide if he saw her darkside. Maybe.

"We'll see," was Natsu's answer. Behind them, glasses shattered. Both turned towards the commotion. Their eyes are met with the stares of everyone in the guild. Jaws were to the floor, some people's plates lay broken on the wood floor and bits of food were scattered around it, cups were knocked over and some were dropped. What had the world come to? Not only had the new recruit gotten the drop on the most dangerous Dragon slayer/human being and possibly the entire universe, but she had gotten within two inches of his personal space without being pummeled to death. Not only that, but she also had said something about touching his things and he responded with "We'll see"? How in the world had she done that? However, the guild had seen something else within the blonde. There was a dark, almost sinister, gleam in her eyes as she attacked and spoke to Natsu. It was it gleam the guild knew too well. It was the gleam of an untrained darkside.

The guild knew of darksides. After all, everyone had one. However, everyone had helped each other train to gain control of them. They each had trained to lock their darkside away and by the looks of things, she hadn't. What was worse was, Natsu had gotten to her first. Plus, with her going on a mission with only Natsu and Happy? Who knows when she'll be back or how long it would take Natsu to leave his influence on her. No one knew of their mission, they just knew that they were leaving. How could they train her if they couldn't access her, let alone go near her? Especially with Chaos so close and Lucy wanting to get closer? How could they save someone they couldn't even reach? What practically murdered the guild was the actions taken after they have recovered from the guild's stares. Both smirked and while Lucy hadn't let go of his scarf, she loosened her grip and gently tugged on it before walking towards the door.

"Let's go, happy. We've got a mission to complete."

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled while Natsu willingly obliged to being lead. You could even be said that he looked... almost... happy... To be led away by Lucy. As soon as the trio left the building, the guild as a whole fainted, and collapsed to the floor. Who on Earthland was this girl? In such a short while she, in a way, tamed Chaos while at the same time was having her darkside brought out by none other than chaos himself! What happened in the days that Natsu had left on a mission, as patient and destructive as ever, to return with a new recruit that he was already closer to then Lisanna had gotten in 12 years, and leave again on a mission with the new recruit? Not only that but she had a darkside that Natsu himself had decided to bring out to the open. How much disaster would it bring or cause if they let Chaos bring out Lucy's darkside without having any training to keep it under control?

The first to wake of the guild members was the master himself. Master Makarov. He had seen the whole thing from his spot on the bar counter where he had last spoken to Romeo. Now he woke and watched as his children started to wake around him. Makarov's grandson was the second to wake with Gray as the third. As more people woke, the guild doors opened to reveal a group of 4. Two were males and the other females. The two males were not in particularly special but they did seem to follow one of the team members like lost puppies. The girl that they followed was short with blue hair being held back by headband. The other female was a bit taller with short white hair that ended at her shoulders. Her sparkling blue eyes scanned the guild for a particular person. When her eyes didn't see him, she made her way to the bar. Her older sister stood behind the counter, finally awake, washing glasses.

"Hey, Mira. Has Natsu come back yet? I don't see him."

"Errr... What?" Normally Mira would have readily given her the information had it not been for a certain blonde who clearly had a better connection to the foul tempered dragon slayer. That was made very clear by their battle in the entryway. Since that point she felt her matchmaking skills flicker to life. However, this created a deeper problem. Not for her specifically but for her younger sister. Lisanna had spent years trying to get close to Natsu. Then suddenly, a new girl comes and somehow grabbed the attention of someone who ignored everyone.

"Mira... What are you telling me?" Asked Lisanna.

"Um..." Mira bit her lip before sighing.

"He got back an hour ago but then left on the mission about 5 minutes ago."

"That's it?"

"He took with him a guild member."

"What! Who!?"

"A blonde girl."

"But...we don't have any female members with blond hair."

"She's new. Chaos pushed her in, almost dragged her out, then they walked out together. With her leading him. The whole guild fainted after. It was quite the sight from someone like Chaos."

"Don't call him that. His name is Natsu. You know that. I also know that he and some blond girl wouldn't go on a mission together. I haven't even gone a mission with him. Why would he take a random person?"

"If you truly don't believe me, go ask someone. Everyone saw it happen." Lisanna huffed before leaving the bar. She then walked around and spoke to several guild members. Each time, she got the same story that Mira told her. Finally, she returned to the bar, sullen. She defiantly wasn't expecting this. She hadn't even been gone very long.

She had only left on her latest mission a week ago. What happened in that week? Why was this time different than all the times she had left in a mission? Who was this mysterious blond girl who had stolen the attention of her precious Dragon Slayer? Had she brainwashed him, cast a spell on him? What kind of wizard was she if she was a wizard at all? What was her background? Where was she from? How could she keep them separate? How could she recover favor that she had not yet gained? How the hell had this blond gained any favor at all? How did they know or find or act with each other? She absolutely get to the bottom of this.

"I will be together with Natsu. Even if he is her Dragon Slayer." She muttered beneath her breath. Unfortunately, another pair of ears heard her. The same one as last time.

 **Anyways what do you guys think? When I wrote it, it didn't seem fast. Then when I skimmed it, it seemed faster than I want it to be. And what do think of her guild mark? I wanted something to match her personality and got this. Also, it has been asked if this Lucy has more magic power than in the original. The answer?...Yes. I need her to be stronger and less whiny for what I have planned for her. It has also been brought to my attention that this is a new twist that I created. While what I have written is my intention I did not realize that it is a new twist. Thank you to those who pointed that out to me.**

 **Thank you to CaptainFreedJustine, Guardian of Light Lightus, Nixarahia, dragonlorerd6, sarolo, Brendan Massam-Reidy, purplegurl14luvsu, Geno07P, animefangirl321'32, leafstone, Flamegod99, 5palmer, The titan21, kidcash, luvanimeaLOT, Shiro Okami Ryu, MAIDENCHINA23, misssbehavin, mib1234, , Sadistic Tendencies, Aoifan91l, seeds of war, smileyface209, and EmeraldNorth for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales.**

 **Thank you to Guardian of Light Lightus, Nixarahia, dragonlorerd6, purplegurl14luvsu, leafstone, Flamegod99, 5palmer, The titan21, mib1234, Aoifan91, blackreaper201, smileyface209, and EmeraldNorth for becoming Dragon Scales newest favoriteers. I hope both numbers grow in the future. Until next time.**

~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato

~Follow, Favorite and Review

~Peace out!


	7. Chapter 6

**~Chapter 6~**

 **Good morning my faithful Dragon Scales fanbase. I hope that you're all glad to hear from me. I really like this chapter and I hope that you guys love it too. I think this will satisfy your nalu needs but if not I think that I will leave you wanting more. I have no intention of ever dropping this story so long as there are people who love this story so don't worry. Also, I have some other things to say before we start. First, if any of you feel like I portrayed a character wrong (the ones that I tried not to change) then tell me and I will try to fix it. That being said, I looked up Pisces and found that their weakness is water only when they are in human form. Next thing. Mira is not married. Her ring is on her right hand. If it was on her left hand, then she would be married.**

 **Also, I have to ask TigerArrowgirl, What did you mean when you asked: is Lucy going to be able to us Stardress cross with her spirits. The question didn't make sense so I would like you to explain it, please. I think that I have covered everything but if any of you have any question feel free to ask them. I will answer them so long as they don't reveal anything about the plot or very important detail.**

 **I think that I have bored you enough. Onto the story! Disclaimer: I'm not fortunate enough to have invented Fairy Tail nor it's plot.**

After they left they headed straight for the train station. Lucy has somehow managed to convince Natsu to take the train. However, in retrospect, she probably had way more power to sway him considering how she still emanated chaos. As further outside proof, Lucy's Guild mark was now a light black, almost gray, color. Not that anyone had noticed it. Although, as soon as the stamp was pressed against her skin, it had immediately matched and blended with her personality. And considering that it was a different kind of Guild stamp it made perfect sense. That led them to their current location.

At this moment Natsu and Lucy sat on a bench in the darkest area they could find closest to the train tracks. Happy lay asleep on Lucy's shoulders. This part may seem normal but there was something completely off if you knew what to look for. To any outside person the two of them looked like the perfect lovey dovey couple...almost...wait what?! Let's rewind and zoom in to find out exactly what happened and why Natsu was allowing this.

After the trio left the guild Lucy had continued to lead Natsu for a while. In turn, Natsu had casually walked behind Lucy with his hands in his pockets and one end of his scarf lay leisurely over Lucy's right shoulder and in her right hand. To the people who knew of Chaos, they were instantly in awe at the sight that walked before them. Not only that but when they did see Chaos they didn't breathe a word fearing what Chaos would do if he heard them speak out, especially against himself. Soon, Lucy got bored of leading and now walked behind Chaos. Yet, she never truly let go of his scarf. She mostly fiddled with one end and hardly disturbed the rest of his body, therefore making it easier for him to ignore her. Soon they got to the station and purchased their tickets. Afterward, they looked for somewhere to sit.

Found the bench they were currently sitting on and when they arrive Natsu had sat down first. Lucy moved to beside him when she was tripped and shoved onto Natsu's lap. Lucy's guild mark grew darker as she glared at her surroundings, looking for the person who had shoved her. Whoever that person was long gone, lost in the ever-moving crowd. She had tried to stand only to realize she couldn't. It was then that she noticed that not only had she wrapped her legs around his but her left hand was tangled in his scarf. She understood how her hand became tangled, but her legs too? As it turned out, it was both of them. See, it started it when she fell on his lap and grabbed onto him to anchor herself. Then when her chaos scent amplified Natsu kind of...coiled himself further around her. Lucy didn't really mind considering how she said she would invade his personal space and now she's doing just that.

Happy wrapped himself around Lucy's neck when he figured that Natsu wasn't going to hurt her. Not that he could in the first place. The fact of the matter words, Natsu was getting high...off the chaos in the air. True, the blond in his lap was the main source but she also seemed to amplify other chaos scents that lingered in the air or off people and animals. However, he did not let it show that he was anything besides emotionless. Lucy saw past his so-called emotionless face and a dark smirk twisted onto her face. How far could she go before he told her to stop? It was a hypothesis just dying to be answered.

As her hands fiddled with his scarf her hands began to slowly inch upwards and slid around his neck and beneath his car. Her fingers found delicate curls at the base of his hairline, hidden by his scarf, and she twirled her fingers around them. His hair was surprisingly soft as she imagined it to be course with the dangerous spikes that stood upon his head. As Natsu sat enjoying the chaos he felt a spike. and saw the smile on her face. There was an odd gleam in her eyes and he found it... Interesting. He felt her hands slide up his scarf, slither behind his neck and dive beneath his scarf. Her fingers found the base of his neck and twirled the small curls that hadn't turned to spikes yet. Surprisingly it was a nice sensation as her fingers ghosted around his neck as she played with the curls. No one had ever been this close to him to find out.

Honestly, Natsu was seriously surprised. How had it come to this? How he gotten soft in the time he had spent with her? Not possible. It had only been a week and he had hardly spoken to her. She had mostly spoken to Happy and he had tuned her out most of the time. The only thing that made any sense was her darkside. It was becoming clear to him that it was having a large effect on him. Natsu leaned his head back against the bench and further into Lucy's hand. Why was she doing this anyways? What had sparked this behavior within her? So not only did she have a destructive, violent, cruel, unforgiving darkside but also a seductive, sly, sexy, manipulative darkside? Had both sides always been there? Or had he accidentally created the distinction? Moreover, why was he reacting this way? Why was he letting her do this? Letting her invade his space, touch his things, speak out against him, slip under his defenses? Why was he letting her change how he acted and how he thought towards her?

These unanswerable questions floated around his mind as he rested. That also brought something to his attention. This could be the first time he actually relaxed when in the company of someone other than Happy. Then the train whistled its arrival. Natsu groaned. How the hell did this woman manage to convince him to ride a train? Lucy stood and suddenly Natsu was hit with a blast of cold air. Odd. He never knew a person's body could provide so much heat. How long had they been sitting there that she'd actually had given heat? Lucy tugged on his scarf and Natsu reluctantly stood and Lucy lead Natsu to the train. They boarded and Natsu make sure they had an entire train car to themselves.

"Why did you do that, Natsu?"

"He has his reasons," Happy answered. The train jerked to life and the force knocked Natsu to the floor. He groaned but didn't attempt to get up.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"S–Stop...i–it."

"Stop what?"

"F–Feeling...sorry f–for...m–me."

"W–What's going on?"

"H–happy... dark... side... fix... c–calms..." Natsu grit out. He was now curled into a ball with his hands wrapped around his stomach and his face smushed into the carpet. This is why he hated trains.

"F–fix w–what H–Happy?"

"Lucy, calm down. It's just motion sickness."

"M–motion sickness?"

"Yeah."

"Oh no." Lucy brought her hand up to her mouth. The motion drew Happy's attention and he realized something. Wasn't her guild mark black like 10 minutes ago? Now, it was light pink. Yet, he could have sworn it was black. An idea ran across his mind. But, he needed to switch Lucy back first.

"You know, it's actually quite pathetic if you think about it," Natsu growled at Happy's statement.

"What is?"

"Currently Natsu."

"How so?" Curiosity was etched into her voice as she looked at Happy. Curiosity had always been a problem for Lucy. It had always led to bad or awkward situations, but sometimes it actually let somewhere. However, more often than not, it usually got worse before it got better if it got better at all.

"I mean think about it. A powerful Dragon Slayer, who can defeat almost anyone, reduced to this."

"A poor, sad, motion sick, pile of uselessness," Lucy answered.

"Exactly," Natsu growled in response again.

"Aw, is someone upset they can't attack the people making fun of them? Too bad he's your best friend. As for me, you will soon forget the fun I'm currently having "

"How do you plan on doing that, Lucy?"

"Give me a second and I'll show you." Lucy then stood and walked over to Natsu. She squatted and turned his face to look at her. Then she smiled a smile that said, " if you break your rules I can prolong your torture." What rules could she possibly have?

"Dare to puke on me and the train ride lasts a lot longer than a few hours." So that was her card. What was she planning? Lucy now grabbed one of his arms and dragged him to where she had been previously sitting.

"Hey Happy, can you help me lift him onto the seat?"

"Uh...Aye sir ." Happy wrapped his tail around his waist he glanced at Lucy's Guild Mark. The pink was now darkened into a dark gray that was almost black. Had it always done that?

"Thanks, Happy," Lucy said once Natsu was on the bench.

"...No problem. What are you going to do?"

"Whatever I want without consequences."

"Which is what?" Lucy smiled and sat next to Natsu's head. Then she gently lifted his head, slid beneath it, and set it softly back in her lap. Then she gestured to him.

"Tada!"

"What did that accomplish?" asked Happy. Lucy sighed.

"Well, since Natsu is helpless, I figured that now would be the best time to quench my thirst of curiosity. Since the meanie Natsu won't take that as an excuse. I'm not even sure how I was able to touch him earlier today. Anyways, I can use this moment to my advantage later."

"Aren't we devious?"

"Indeed we are, Happy." Without another word Lucy threaded her fingers through Chaos's spiky hair. She tangled her slim fingers within his salmon locks and massaged his scalp, gently weaving and tugging. As Natsu lay there, unable to resist her, an odd sensation floated through his body. What was it? It felt similar to what he felt on the bench but different somehow and he felt himself relaxing against it despite his best efforts. How was this possible?

It was then that Lucy's ears picked up on something. A quiet rumbling seemed to be rising from Natsu's throat. A sudden thought ran through Lucy's mind. When they had been sitting on the bench she'd heard the same rumbling coming from him. She had felt it through your fingers but it was so faint she thought she had imagined it. There was so much noise that she wasn't even sure if she had heard it in the first place. However, now that there was hardly any noise at all, it was clear she heard correctly.

"Eh, Happy? Is Natsu purring?" Lucy whispered. Happy's eyes widened as he hovered above Natsu. Happy gasped.

"He is! How did you do that?!"

"I don't even know what I did!" Their whispers had not grown in volume yet the surprise was evident. Natsu had fallen asleep minutes before and now he shifted slightly. Happy backed up and all Lucy could do was move her hand. He had now rolled closer to Lucy and now had his face buried in her stomach and arms wrapped around her waist. Lucy put her hand back and smirked.

"Hey, Happy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a camera?"

"Yep."

"I have an idea. How about we Savor this moment? Just the two of us." Happy grinned .

"Aye, sir!" Happy snapped a picture before sitting by Natsu's head. Then he climbed up Lucy's arm and curled himself around her neck. Lucy giggled and stroked his head before dropping her hand back to her lap. She looked out the window as her thoughts wandered away from her. It had been a while since she left that prison she called a home, hadn't it? Almost... 6 months? Yeah, almost 6 months. Obviously, you must be thinking: How was a 17 year old able to live on her own for 6 months? Where did she get the money? Why did she leave? And all those types of questions. It wasn't that hard really. Not at all. If you were in her position you probably be thinking why didn't you escape earlier? Why'd you put up with it for so long? Why did this happen?

The fact of the matter was, even if she was there, she wasn't there now. She had long since left that prison and there was no way on Earthland that she was going back. Lucy could still remember the long, dark hallways she was forced to roam. She could still feel the cold, lonely nights she spent in her room. She could still taste the large, bland dinners she had to eat by herself since her father was always in his office. If she could she would eat with her mother but she wasn't allowed to eat outside. Let alone by your mother's grave.

Lucy had been very young when her mother died. Since that point, Lucy's life had changed forever. She no longer heard her mother's laughter in the halls. She no longer felt her warmth when she cuddled Lucy on her bed with a bedtime story. She no longer tasted the baked goods her mother insisted on cooking on the weekends. Her mother no longer kept the evil of the outside world away. Now, all Lucy had left was the servants. Well, where does that leave her father? In the same place he's always been. For years after her death of her father had locked himself in his office. For weeks no one saw a shred of him. Servants laid his food on trays in front of his doors. Later they would come back to get the empty trays. Then something changed again.

Lucy wasn't even sure what changed. For weeks he had no outside contact then all the sudden guests were always coming over. Although, all of them had a few... problems. They all had ranged from gamblers to drinkers, and possibly even drug dealers and Mafia leaders. She wasn't even sure how he got mixed up with them. With those horrible men. As a result, Lucy learned a very hard lesson. When her father had guests she must never be in the vicinity. As subjected to his acts of violence she would sometimes spend weeks healing. Luckily it only lasted for two and a half years before he got better. After that–

The train's whistle screamed loudly cutting off any further thoughts of her past. Lucy heard their stop being called and woke Happy. He groggily rubbed his eyes before Lucy asked for his help. After successfully moving Natsu so he now he leaned heavily on Lucy, Happy grabbed Natsu's bag. After successfully dragging Natsu's limp body off the train, Lucy drug him to a nearby bench. Then she ungrateful dropped him on it before squatting next to his head. His skin was so pale and his breathing labored. It really was amusing. Happy's words couldn't have been more perfect. The world's greatest dragon slayer, who was thought to be practically invincible, was so easily struck down by an illness so severe it turned him into something no more useful than a bag dried grass. So small, so fragile, so helpless,... so pathetic. She knew she shouldn't be so mean but what can you do when no one has this severe of a reaction.

"Naattssu." rather than answering, he simply groaned.

"Natsu, come on get up." His eyes remained closed. Lucy sighed. She stood and her gaze drifted to Happy, who was standing next to Natsu's bag, to Natsu, who is laying on his back on the bench. A devious idea then struck Lucy. She took about three steps and now stood by his stomach. Taking one last look his face, Lucy climbed onto Natsu's stomach. He groaned as his nausea flared and cracked an eye to look at her.

"What... are... you doing?"

"Making you realize something," Lucy answered.

"What would... that be?" Lucy slid further down his body until she sat on his pelvis. Natsu open both eyes fully.

"We're not on the train anymore and we need to get going."

"I see." Meanwhile, Happy continue to ponder over Lucy's guild mark. Currently, it was so black you could almost see it pulsing with chaos if you stared at it hard enough. It definitely changed from earlier. He knew for sure that when he was explaining Natsu's condition to Lucy, it was pink. He would have to ask her to be sure but it didn't seem necessary.

"Are you feeling better now, Natsu? We can't leave until you're all better," Lucy all but purred. She leaned forward with her hands gliding over his chest until she was laying completely on top of him.

"Why are we even doing this mission anyways? It's not like we're being paid to do this."

"Then what made you agree earlier?"

"Happy's words. What better way to make them submit than to save one of their own?" Oddly enough, these words didn't faze her. Rather it sparked an interest in her.

"Really? That's interesting."

"Is it? I didn't know you would think so." Lucy's face was now inches from his.

"I think that it's a perfect idea." Natsu's breath fanned across Lucy's cheeks. His eyes gleamed like a predator's as the chaos rolled off Lucy in waves. With his motion sickness long forgotten he now stared at the blond girl on top of him. Her eyes sparkled with mischievousness and her smile screamed of chaos. Her long blond hair floated around their faces like a halo, light bouncing off her like she was glowing. Everything about her seemed angelic. That is if you removed the chaos from her. She was a devil in angel's clothing and Natsu couldn't get enough of it. The amount of chaos coming off of her was phenomenal and Natsu felt as if his body was absorbing all of it. He felt light and happy and as high as cloud 9.

"If it's such a great idea, then let's get going. Daylight is burning people!" Happy exclaimed. Natsu and Lucy looked over at him. Happy was sprawled on Natsu's bag just staring at the sky. Lucy sighed and leaned back up. Again, as her body left his a cold breeze ran across Natsu's chest. She remained sitting on his hips as here and ran a hand through her hair.

"You ready to go, Serpent?"

"Yeah. You need to come up with a better name than that."

"We'll see. It might depend on who's listening."

"Hm. Now get off, Happy's right. We gotta go."

"Fine." She slowly slid from his body and stood there holding her hand. Natsu simply looked at her hand to her face and back again.

"What?" Natsu asked. Lucy rolled her eyes. Grabbing one of his hands she put it in her hers.

"You grab it and I help you up." Lucy pulled on Natsu's arm and pulled him to a sitting position.

"See?"

"..."

"Whatever. Let's get going." Lucy readjusted the backpack on her back as she waited for Natsu. It was a small little thing. Well, not necessarily. It Held a week's worth of clothes, 2 or 3 simple dresses, and her toiletries inside. It was mainly black with blue trim and purple zippers. An odd colored backpack for sure but Lucy didn't care. She had been given this backpack by one of her servants and kept it until she met Natsu. Somehow she managed to convince him to wait long enough for her to grab it before they left Haregaon. Granted it was when Natsu dropped Bora off with the authorities, but still. She brought it to the guild and on this trip as well. She wasn't even sure if Natsu even knew she carried a backpack at all. It wasn't a big deal after all. Happy and Lucy stood off to the side as Natsu stood and stretched before putting on his bag. Sighing, Natsu ran a hand through his hair.

"So where are we going?" Lucy wondered.

"Well, Romeo's dad, Macao, took a mission on Mt. Hokobe. I think it was to remove a number of Vulcans from the area. I don't know how many he was supposed to remove, however," Happy answered.

"At least we have somewhere to start. How close are we?" Lucy asked.

"We're about 30 minutes from the mountain base."

"What's the weather like?"

"Cold and snowy."

"What! I don't have clothes for that!"

"Sucks for you," happy smeared.

"You don't have to be so rude about it." They continued a playful banter as they walked to their destination. Natsu, however, walked in front of the to and remained silent. How long had it been? A month? Two? Eh. While it had been a while he had no intention of doing so for a bit longer. He had planned for it soon but with the blonde still easily moldable, he couldn't leave her just yet. If he did, all the hard work of tolerating her annoying, bubbly side would have been a waste. And wasting something, especially something as precious as his time, was not something to be taken lightly. However, with the chaos that she gave off it made was worth it. Although, he still couldn't pinpoint exactly what made her so special. Finally, they reached the mountain base and took a carriage to the highest point possible. It was hardly halfway but it didn't really matter. The cold winds swept past them, chilling both Happy and Lucy. The snow was up to their shins and Happy had wrapped himself around Lucy's neck. For Lucy, the cold was torture. She viciously rubbed her hands up and down her arms trying to retain her warmth. Her teeth chattered and her breath was shallow and choppy. The cold air tore at her body ravenously ripping the heat from her. She was going numb as her body heat was being robbed from her yet she said nothing.

She held her mouth shut not letting a peep of complaint pass through her lips. She refused to show weakness. She refused to reveal just how much pain she really was in. Lucy hated the cold. She detested it. Couldn't stand it. It horrified her. Yet, she glued her mouth shut. She refused to give in to the temptation of screaming in pain, refused to give Natsu a reason to refuse her coming on any more missions with him. Then somehow she tripped. Whether it be on herself, on a rock or something else below the snow, she never figured it out. She landed hard on the snow effectively releasing any air still inside her lungs. She laid there for a moment before attempting to remove her body from the snow. However, any strength that she once had had now vanished. Heat had seeped from her into the snow never to return. She couldn't even find the strength to call for Natsu. Not that she would anyway. She couldn't rely on him for everything, even if he did seem impervious to snow. She already relied on him too much. So she lay there, unable to move, as the frozen mountain seemed to claim her life. What a horrible way to die. Surrounded by cold, on her first unofficial mission, not even making it to her first guild battle. Any battles before now didn't count because she wasn't even part of the guild. What a waste.

"Natsu!" Happy screamed. He launched himself at his pink haired friend and desperately pulled at his clothes.

"Natsu, stop!" When Lucy went down she didn't make so much as a soft oomph as the snow was crushed beneath her body.

"What?" Natsu turned slightly.

"Help Lucy!"

"Why?" He turned to look to see her face down in the snow.

"I can't get her to stand up! Help her, please!" Natsu set his stuff down and walked back to Lucy. He rolled her over and put his ear next to her mouth. Her breath was shallow and quiet. Putting two fingers to her neck he felt her thready and faint heartbeat as her cold skin bit at his fingertips. Natsu ground his teeth together as he picked her up. What the hell was wrong with her?! Why hasn't she called for him when she fell? Didn't he notice when she fell? As more and more questions filled his head, he knew he had to do something to keep her temperature up. If not, she would surely die and that was something he refused to let happen. Not if he had a say in it. As a result, Natsu took a risk and let his body on fire. His black and blue fire swirled at his hands and quickly raced to engulf his body before getting to Lucy. The fire licked at her skin and clothes as Natsu help her close. Expecting a small hiss of pain he was surprised when instead he received a hum of pleasure as she snuggled further into his hold.

Now that was odd. She hummed and in pleasure to his flames. Why? Before he could contemplate it further, a cloud of smoke appeared in his peripheral vision. He turned and growled as he attempted to pull Lucy closer to his body. Who would dare try to follow him without permission? Out of the smoke walked at tall, brown Godfather clock with long black arms and legs. A roman numeral clock was at the center, above the glass case, and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirly mustache-like mouth. Unsure of what the odd creature was, Natsu slowly backed away from it.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Natsu growled darkly.

"I am Horologium, One of Miss Lucy's Celestial Spirits. I fought my way here when I felt she was in trouble."

"You've got your way here?"

"Yes, before now we haven't been able to summon ourselves when we sense danger. However, recently she's grown strong enough I was able to push past the barrier. Miss Lucy is in grave danger."

"From what?"

"Hypothermia. If she doesn't get warm soon, she'll die."

"What do you think I'm doing!?"

"You are doing an excellent job. When she's stable I'll hold her in my case to retain that warmth she received from you."

"I see," Natsu grit out. "Then follow me." Minutes later Horologium was holding Lucy inside his glass case as he walked behind Natsu. Happy was back around her neck and he was glad he could at least see her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given her up. Now she lay inside with a blanket from Natsu's bag wrapped tightly around her. She wasn't shivering anymore and was sleeping peacefully. They continued walking and it wasn't long before they heard an odd rumbling sound. It definitely wasn't the sound of an avalanche. The rumbling sound had a slight pattern to it, almost as an animal was running right towards them. Wait. If–

Before Natsu was able to contemplate it further an explosion of snow appeared in front of him. Rather than take a surprised step back, he took an angry step forward. Black and purple electricity sparked and danced around his hands as the creature that had yet to show itself. Natsu growled as the snow began to settle and a shape began to take form. The form took on ape-like features and a longer, skinnier head. A snow Vulcan. Was that the creature that Macao was supposed to be removing from the mountain or was it some other creature? Either way, this ugly creature was in his way and did seem to be moving anytime soon. How irritating.

"Move, you overgrown ape," Natsu growled. The Vulcan howled angrily and tried to crush Natsu with its fist. Seeing an opening, Natsu took a shot.

"Chaos Dragon devastating fist." Natsu launched a fist at its face and smiled as it made contact. The black and purple electricity shocked the creature as it flew backward into the mountainside. A second later the Vulcan reappeared and ran at Natsu. Natsu smirked and ran towards the Vulcan.

"Chaos Dragon's comet." Electric bolts flared up and engulfed him. As they met the Vulcan swung his fist only to miss as Natsu ducked and head-butted it in the stomach. Again it flew back and collided with the mountain.

"'N–Natsu? W–what's going on?' she asked tired,' repeated Horologium.

"Snow Vulcan. I'll take care of it."

"Snow Vulcan? What's a snow Vulcan?' she questioned."

The ape-like creature burst from nowhere and charged once again. Natsu gestured at the same moment Lucy screamed through Horologium. The Vulcan's attention left Natsu's and turned to Lucy. Hearts cropped up in place of pupils as it stared at her. Oddly enough, her chaos smell didn't flare up. Instead, fear overrid everything. Her eyes are locked onto this less than scary Vulcan, her breath was shallow, her body was trembling, and her pulse was fast. Why was she so scared of this creature? How could she be this scared when she stood strong against 30x as many humans?

"W–woman," the Vulcan mumbled.

"'What?' she questioned." repeated Horologium.

"Woman!" yelled the Vulcan.

"I don't think so," Natsu said calmly. However, his eyes or anything but calm. His electricity sparked again and created a flame. The fire spread in dark bluish black flames engulfing his hands and crawling up his arms.

"Chaos Dragon's vortex." Flames spurted from his hands in a flurry. The scorching flames swirled around his hands into a deep whirlpool of air. Snow evaporated almost instantly and the flames grew so large they obstructed Natsu's vision. When the flames died down, Natsu searched for the despicable creature. Hearing something off to his left and he turned only to have the huge fist collide into his body. The force of the blow knocked him down and he rolled, snow now clinging onto him. Before he could stand, a large fist closed around him.

Lucy watched in horror as the monsters ape wrapped it's fat fingers around Natsu. The Vulcan smirked happily as it finally caught its annoying prey. Flames erupted around Natsu and the Vulcan looked at him as his prey continued to burn his hand. It looked for a place to rid itself of the Dragon Slayer and smiled a creepy smile. He lumbered over to the nearby cliff and with no hesitation dropped him over it. Lucy screamed his name and pounded on the glass as she watched her precious human-hating Dragon Slayer fall off the cliff and leave her sight. The Vulcan then picked up Horologium and left the scene of this horrendous crime.

 **Oh no! Is he dead? Is he alive? Why would I do such a thing! Jk. I know why. Quite a cliffhanger, don't you think? I think so.**

 **Thank you, torral11, roseprincess962, OliTassell, Skaanimalover, NaluLuva23, crazygirl197, ashinsky, madmissY01, XxXxLoveTheGamexXxX, melon-slice, Mike Uzumaki-Heartfilla, SakiNami, soapywaters13, queenknight, Serika2001, SafireRansomePoseidonsDaughter, MiraLevy, beebee367, Awesome393, Hayles1, Feam01, and zzMiya-chanzz for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales.**

 **Thank you to** **kayrai, roseprincess962, EliteBookworm, jessclockwork, AnnabethAlAbbas, Skaanimalover, NaluLuva23, crazygirl197, Mike Uzumaki-Heartfilla, SakiNami, soapywaters13, Skaanimalover, Serika2001, MiraLevy, Awesome393, kitsune-miko-witch, and** **zzMiya-chanzz for becoming the newest favoriteers to Dragon** **Scales.**

 **Also, you must give special thanks to** **zzMiya-chanzz because without her I wouldn't have posted. I also thought it wise to tell the pattern in which I update. If my follower number ends in a five or a zero then I will post the next chapter. So it was bugging me a lot so I had to come back and add this. I usually wait several days until the flow dies down and I have the next chapter written. So to clean up what I just said. Under the conditions that I have the next chapter done, the flow of favoriteers and followers has to dwindle and to post it the follower count has to end in a five or Zero. I hope that clears thing up. Sorry of there was any confusion. Till next time.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite and Review**

 **~Edited 5/18/16**

 **~Peace out!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Good morning "Dragon Scales" fanbase. I know what I said about posting but today is a special day. Today was the last day of school. As a result I decided to treat you all to a chapter of your favorite story. Now some things. I know that the transitions that Lucy experiences seem a bit to rough. However, keep in mind that she has only been around Natsu so far and he is pulling at her darkside while she still retains her normal self. So there will be some hard switches. But don't worry. Once she spends more time with the guild the transitions will be smoother. And if the guild seems to OOC that is only because I haven't spent a lot of time on them. We'll get there.**

 **Also, if any of have any ideas that you think would make the story better don't hesitate to tell me. I will take them into consideration and they might end up in the story. I have had so many ideas from you guys and I will definitely be using them. So I hope this chapter is to your liking. On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill. :)**

* * *

 **~~Chapter 7~~**

Lucy shivered as she watched the frightening creature dance around in front of her. It kept saying "woman" over and over and over again. It brought its face close, almost pushing itself against the glass before retracting itself. It howled and cried in happiness and anger with hardly a pause in between. It was clearly happy that he get her alone but angry that she wouldn't come out of the case. How could she? Her limbs were frozen and she felt paralyzed. She could hardly breathe let alone move. She could only watch in horror as it attempted numerous times to reach her. Salty tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

This may seem odd but there is a legitimate reason for this reaction. See, she had been taught how to react to humans and the different emotions and personalities that they had. She knew how to push their buttons and how to make them squirm. She loved to break them if they started it and to humiliate them if possible. This was a completely different scenario. Smaller animals like cats, dogs, bunnies, etc., only gained love from her. Other, larger creatures held a much stronger, a very different reaction. Fear. So much fear. Pure, irrational fear. It may seem justified but to tell the truth, it wasn't. She couldn't figure out what exactly was so scary. What she could say was, once the creature was in range all traces of Lucy Heartfilia vanished.

She couldn't bring out her other side and even her bubbly side turned to mush. She simply became this useless shell of her former person. Almost as useless as... a motion sick Natsu. That was it! Her direct link to the dragon slayer. Sure it was a dumb way to connect but it worked. They both had a strong side and a normal side. However, buried deep beneath both was That one weakness that could bring about their very destruction. One simple thing that was so stupid to anyone else except those who could truly understand. Lucy couldn't see why people didn't want to share such a bond with someone like Chaos. For someone who had no one, why didn't they try to understand him before judging and outcast him like a monster? Sure he could be described as a monster but she didn't seem that way.

A small 'ding' caught her attention. No. The ding was followed by an " I'm Sorry Miss Lucy." NO. " I'm afraid my time is up." NO! this couldn't be happening! Not now! Not yet! Why! A gentle poof sounded around her. No no no no no no! No! As the smoke cleared Lucy found herself sitting on the cold ice floor with Happy around her neck and a blanket on her back. Happy remained silent. Why? That's because Happy was petrified as well. Happy himself had woken up just in time to see his best friend be thrown off a cliff. There's no way that actually happened, right? There was no way the mighty Chaos dragon slayer was defeated by such a pesky and annoying creature, right? There was no way. So why did that very thing happen in front of its eyes? Had it been a dream? Some tomfoolery perhaps? But, it looked so real and he had just woken up from a nap, hadn't he? Plus, he hadn't woken up a second time so this definitely had to be reality. But in what reality was the pink-haired temperamental Dragon so easily pushed from the picture? What was this world coming to!?

An end actually. When that ding sounded and the puff of smoke cleared, it signaled the end of the only defense the two had from the enormous giant. Without Chaos to protect them and with Lucy incapacitated who was there to save them? Had their end already come? Was this their time? It couldn't be. No way could their end be in such a fashion; a situation so stupid that even a teen mage could handle. The ape-like creature rejoiced at how his prey was no longer guarded. He lumbered closer and Lucy let out an ear-splitting screen. The monster stumbled backward enraged that his prey dared defy him. It started forward again only to stumble back when she screamed for her partner as loud as her lungs would allow. She was doubtful it would work since she saw Natsu fall but it was worth a shot. After all, what was the harm in calling back up if they weren't going to come anyways? Sure it prolonged the inevitable or was a waste of time but who cared anyways? After all she couldn't be reprimanded if she died.

Just then to their left a huge explosion rattled the cave. The dust and smoke cleared to reveal a very angry dragon slayer. His body was cloaked in fire and the air around him was dark and thick and it cracked and sparked within the flames. Death and destruction swam in his eyes. How dear this creature do this to him? After being dropped Natsu had reveled in the feeling of the air rushing past and before casting one of his spells. Once back on the cliff he had quickly found the pair promptly after hearing her scream. Now he stood before them about to pummel the snow vulcan into oblivion. No one could take away his friends (if he actually call them that) and get away with it. It would pay for the monstrosity that it had committed.

"Chaos Dragons apocalypse technique: Chaos Blast." Natsu raised his hand above his head and dark bluish black orbs begin to grow above his head. He slowly lowered his hand so his palm with facing the Vulcan. The orbs jumped twice in size and continue to grow. Closing his fist resulted in the orbs being fired and the Vulcan had no time to react as orbs hit him dead-on. Some hit the floor kicking up some snow in the process. The beast roared and once again launched itself at its attacker. Natsu jumped and hovered in the air as the Vulcan looked around in confusion.

Lucy watched in awe (and slight fear from the Vulcan) as the Chaos Dragon Slayer came to save her. Though he may not have been actually dead, Lucy loved the idea that he rose from the dead to save her. No one has ever cared about her that much. Except for maybe her mother and Caleb. She was hypnotized by the large bat wings that glowed and glittered on his back. As the setting sun shone on his back, the intricate blue designs sparkled but as the sun's rays disappeared the blue designs glowed in the growing darkness. Natsu's pearl white teeth gleamed as he bared his teeth and pulled his lips into a snarl. He looked... feral... Savage... primal... Absolutely beautiful. Surprising huh? Most, if not all, people would lose themselves in fear and flee from the area. Yet, Lucy was mesmerized. She was frozen with awe, her fear forgotten as she watched Natsu took a deep breath and brought his hands to his mouth.

"Chaos Dragon's Roar." From his hands burst forth black fire with blue swirls starting in a small stream before quickly expanding into a much larger stream. It overtook the vulcan and sent it spiralling into one of the walls of the cave. The flames seem hotter than normal. More... out of control, if you could imagine. Like it was the fire's goal to do more than singe clothing and fur. Power and energy radiated from the flames like heat. The need to burn, to expand, to spread, to explode, to KILL. Maybe the fire's will wasn't it's own, but that of the caster. Would he do that for her? Would he go so far as to spill someone else's scarlet blood to save her? Evidence clearly says yes personality screams no. So which was it?

The power and force threw the vulcan again into the wall, digging a deep crater that the Vulcan lay motionless inside. The Dragon Slayer panted heavily and slowly floated to the ground. When his feet touched the ice his wings dissipated. The predatory look in his eyes hadn't faded but Lucy didn't care. She loved it. She pushed herself off the frozen ground and ran to her savior. She didn't give him enough time to dodge before she threw herself into his arms. Natsu stumbled back a few steps as she wrapped her arms around his chest and tucked her head under his chin. Chaos stood there paralyzed with shock that a) the blonde was hugging him, b) she was crying, c) she wouldn't let go even if he tried to pull her off, d) she was practically cuddling him and so many other reasons on top of that. Finally, he was able to push her off but that had resulted in more tears. Natsu sighed in defeat and opened his arms. Lucy gasped and once more threw herself at him. Natsu dropped his hands to his sides and listened as the blonde's bubbled, slurred, and choppy words spilled from her lips.

"...appy...safe... died... horrible..." The annoyed Dragonslayer slapped a hand over her mouth when he finally had grown tired of her babbling.

"Calm down."

"C–Calm d–down? Calm down?! H–how can I calm down when I watched you get thrown over a cliff and left to die! My heart said you didn't but–but...but..." The words fade from her throat. She knew he couldn't have died. He was too powerful to simply have his life cut short just from being thrown off a cliff. So why was she overreacting? Why didn't she trust him? She knew that he took care of himself before they met. So why couldn't she trust him with his own life anymore? They didn't know each other that well, they hadn't been with each other that long, so why?

"I should've trusted you. I'm sorry." A bright light suddenly took over the cave. They both turned to see the vulcan engulfed in light. His form grew smaller, taking on more human-like features. Happy, who was still at a loss of words was now buried in his best friend's hair, looked at the human in bewilderment.

"Macao?"

"M–macao? W–wasn't that the name of the mage we're looking for?" Lucy asked. Happy nodded his acknowledgement while Natsu simply grunted. They slowly approached him and both males confirmed it was indeed Macao. After they pulled him from the wall, they treated his wounds, (or at least Lucy did. Natsu sat off to the side dozing with Happy on his chest.) and laid him on his back. After a few minutes he woke and told them (mostly Lucy) about what had happened to him. Apparently, he had fought off a number of vulcans before one surprised him and took possession of his body. Lucy was amazed at how many he had defeated before he was possessed. Natsu and Happy continued to sleep, completely dead to the outside world. in their own personal oblivion that made Lucy completely jealous. Would it be alright if he joined them? Or would he be mad?

* * *

Was all his fault. He knew that much for sure. It was all his fault. How could he say those things? He knew why but...why? All because of jealousy? Of bullies? How pathetic. He didn't have to listen to him. He didn't have to leave. But he did. He left so he could do something to make him happy. He wished he could take it all back with all his heart. He never wanted him to leave. How selfish could he be? Sure he was a child but he shouldn't have been so selfish. He shouldn't have urged him to take it. He shouldn't have made him leave because now... All he wanted was to have his dad come back to him.

Tears ran down young boy's face. He sat on the steps of some building somewhere in his home city of Magnolia. He didn't know how long he been sitting there on the stairs. He didn't know when the tears had restarted. He still didn't know what his father was coming home. Master Makarov hadn't been much help at all when he went to the guild yesterday. What this it? Was he alone? Would his father ever come home?

"Romeo!" A faint voice called. Romeo lifted his head from his hands.

"Romeo!" Could it be? Romeo stood and looked around for the voice. The sun was rising now; had he been there that long?; Romeo shielded his eyes and looked down the street. In the distance the young boy could see it three figures against the son. As they drew closer Romeo sprang off the stairs and ran towards them. When they saw him they halted in their advance.

"D–Dad?" Romeo stammered. Was it him? Was this a dream? Surely it wasn't.

"Dad?" As if on cue his father's natural dark blue hair emerged from the sunshine.

"Dad." Putting on another burst of speed the boy launched himself into his father's arms. He had come home!

"Dad!" Romeo screamed him happiness.

"Romeo!"

"Dad! You came back!"

"You know I could never leave you."

"I'm so sorry!" Romeo sobbed.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault."

"Yes it was! If I hadn't then you wouldn't "

"What if I tell you my adventure? Then you can end your guilt and brag to your friends."

"Really?" By now the trio had turned and started in the direction of the guild. That is before a childish voice called for Lucy's attention. She turned and gained Happy's attention as well. Chaos simply stopped walking.

"Thank you for being my dad home!"

"Your welcome but it was mostly Chaos doing the saving!"

"Thank you, Chaos!" Romeo called and Chaos stiffened and as a result. The pink-haired dragon slayer have never been given a 'thank-you' before other than the spirit summoner and Happy. It was an odd feeling and though he didn't welcome it, he didn't fully reject it either. How soon would the news spread? What story would be told? Who would tell it? These inconsequential questions lamely floated by his subconscious before drifting away in the wind. The questions weren't really that important, so why did it matter? Trick question. It didn't.

The dragon slayer gave no acknowledgement of hearing him and continued walking. the brown-eyed female waved at the boy and his father before turning to face forward. Happy, soon after, fell asleep and re-curled himself tightly around her neck. How did he form such a close bond with her this early? When did it even happen? If he thought about it then maybe it had to be from how often the two of them talked. So he had unwillingly created a friendship between the two? Great. Just perfect.

Minutes later the trio arrived at the guild doors. This time, after a minutes pause, she pushed open the doors herself and posed. She's only expecting a few laughs and maybe an odd remark but that wasn't what she got. Instead she got a shout of her name before she was suddenly surrounded by the people who showed up to the guild at dawn. However, it seemed like everyone was here. That was odd. Why would these people who barely knew her be this happy at her arrival? Her gaze switched to Natsu, only to find that he was no longer behind her. She searched the outskirts of the crowd as she was dragged through further inside the guild. She finally found him when she looked up and saw him hovering above everyone else before flying to the second floor. People go closer stealing more and more personal space and precious oxygen from her. These people. Was she really that important?

"Happy, pull me out please."

"Aye sir!" Fortunately when the guild shouted it woke Happy and now he grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her from the clutches of the guild.

"Now where?" Asked Happy.

"To Mira please."

"Aye sir!" Happy softly set Lucy down and stood on the counter. The white-haired barmaid look up the glass she was polishing and smiled.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Mira."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Fish please!"

"Vanilla shake, please." Mira nodded and came back a minute later with their orders.

"Do you know why I was ambushed when I walked in here?"

"Oh that? They were simply excited to see you."

"Why? I don't even know them. How will I know I existed?"

"Well... You're the first person to go on a mission with Chaos. That and you came back alive. Just going on a mission with chaos is accomplishment enough."

"Huh. Interesting."

"So how was your first unofficial mission?"

"Good. The only problem we came across was when I got captured by a vulcan."

"How did you escape?" Mira asked as her eyes widened.

"I didn't. Natsu saved me. I probably wouldn't be here if he hadn't."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But, I really don't want to talk about it. Do you know where the city library is?"

"Library? Did I hear someone say library?" Out of nowhere are short blue head popped up next to the celestial mage. She wore a shortish orange dress and a matching orange headband. She smiled and climbed up on the bar stool next to the her.

"Hi. How are you? You must be the newest member. I'm Levy Mcgarden. I'm part of Team Shadow Gear." She gestured to two men who were watching her from afar before turning back to the blonde.

"Hi. I'm doing good. Yeah, I'm a new member. I'm Lucy. If we talking teams then I guess I'm part of Team Chaos? I don't know."

"So it's true!" Levy exclaimed.

"What's true?"

"That the rookie somehow landed a job with only the scariest almost human ever! No offense." Lucy giggled.

"None taken. I realize by now that nobody's ever gone on a mission with him before. But how come?" Lucy propped her chin on her hand as she stared at Levy.

"Well, he has never been a social person. There was once where two other members had tried to force themselves on Chaos to join his team. It didn't go so well. He beat them to a pulp before leaving. Up till now, Happy's been his only company. How'd you end up joining his team?"

"It's...um... A long story," mumbled Lucy as she rubbed her neck.

"We've got time. Hey, why don't we talk at the library?"

"Sure! Hey, Happy, can you tell Natsu Where we're going? I don't want him to leave on a mission without me."

"Aye sir." With a fish in his mouth he flew off.

"Do you really think you wait for you?" Lucy shrugged.

"I don't know. He might. The fact is, he can do whatever he wants. I have no control over him and he can leave whenever he wants. Whether or not he waits for me is all up to him. It's completely possible that he might leave me. Who knows? He might actually stay." Just then Happy rejoins them at the bar..

"Natsu says he doesn't care but wants me to go with you. We might go on a mission later."

"Well that answers that question."

"Awesome! Let's go, Lucy."

"Alright, I'm coming." Lucy then picked up Happy and walked with Levy out the guild doors. They chatted about nonsense the whole way and making jokes as well. It wasn't much different than talking to Happy but Lucy enjoyed it nonetheless. Soon they came plan the library and the second they entered Levy grabbed her hand and drag Lucy and happy to some unknown corner. She led Lucy to a table, grabbed some books and stack them in a fort like thing around them.

"So, tell me everything."

"Only if you promise not to tell anyone. I want to keep the little trust he has in me."

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." She took a finger across her lips like a zipper and smiled.

"What you want to do first?"

"How did you join his team? Wait, no. How did you meet?"

"He unknowingly saved me and I protected him. If I hadn't stopped him, he probably would have seriously injured a lot of people. Then after that we separated. "

"What?!" She whispered. "Then how did you end up joining him?"

"Well... I kind of got captured and the guy that Natsu with after for his mission was my captor. So to complete his mission he had to save me. So it worked out."

"That's rather convenient."

"I know. I don't want to think about my alternate future that could have been. Yuck."

"Scary. Then what?"

"Not much. After I got my backpack from my hotel while he and Happy dropped off Bora to the authorities we walked to the guild."

"Then the whole scene with Gray right?"

"Before we left?" Levy nodded. "Yeah. Then we rode the train to Mt. Hokobe where I got captured again, and Natsu saved me. Again. Then he had to save me to complete the mission. Again. I still find it unbelievable."

"That's a lot of 'again's."

"If you think about it, there's a lot of repetition."

"Yeah.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What's your team like? What do you like to do?"

"Well..." With that Levy went into depth about herself, her life, her team, her missions, everything. Though Levy gave her the short version and they soon moved on to things they had in common. Their joy and giddiness skyrocketed as they shared their likes and dislikes, their preferences, and so on and so forth. Lucy, however, wasn't as forthcoming with her past as she was with everything else. There was multiple reasons why she wanted to avoid the topic. One of them was that she wanted Natsu be the first to know of the past that she didn't want to talk about. Was that odd? Was it weird for her to want to be closer to a man she hardly knew, who was extremely antisocial, and whom she just met? Surely it was. But there wasn't much she could do about it now. Meanwhile, another scene was happening at the guild. And the whole thing started minutes after Lucy left.

Natsu had been sitting on the second floor when it started. Minutes before Happy had informed him that the blonde was going to the library with the short bluenette of the guild. Natsu had then told Happy that he'll be joining them. The blue feline had little discontentment and easily accompany the girls. Then not even five minutes later a familiar white-haired leech pushed herself through the guild doors. At the time Chaos himself was leaning back in his chair and as soon as he saw her he made no movement in hopes of avoiding the gain of her attention. Not that she could see him in the first place. After all, due to his magic he could fairly easily blend in with the shadows and have no one notice him.

Natsu's magic was a complicated one. The first thing about it was that chaos was not an element. It didn't have the shape or symbol or anything. As a result Chaos had developed his attacks to take on the properties of various elements. As for replenishing magical energy that was an entirely different situation. Being a Dragon Slayer he could eat his "element" to replenish his energy. However, due to the lack of his physical element, other, similar magics were the substitute. Any and all magics that dealt with darkness or tainted magic or magic used for complete evil was usable. There were some other differences as well. The actual properties could easily stand on their own. For instance, he could use the dark property to blend into the darkness of an area, or he could use his chaos to temporarily alter a person's personality. Though he hadn't test that one out fully yet. Then there was the nature of his magic. The pure nature of his magic was on a whole nother level. He was actually able to feel the chaos in the air around him. Chaos itself was many things and can be described in many different ways. Which made it difficult to describe at times. Since Chaos was a small child his father had taught him to sense the darkness the human create and use it against them. To use it to destroy a person's morals, their relationships with others, to drive them away from people, forget who they once had been, the list continued. The possibilities seemed endless.

To watch someone lose themselves to the darkness was truly an amusing sight. That was chaos. To see someone break wasn't something people saw often. Though there were some more ways it was done. Torture, interrogation, and others but no one could achieve any of these like the Chaos Dragon could. That fact aside, the chaos in the air was different than magical chaos. The chaos he could feel was created by a person's actions, thoughts, and personalities. Though this may seem like a complicated topic, in reality it wasn't. Emotions like greed, selfishness, virulence, and cattiness were part of the beginning stages. However, depending on the strength of the emotion also determined the stage. There were some others as well. Hatred, malice, betrayal and cruelness were typically the next page. Then there was the malignant and the vicious and the ones who committed pure villainy and iniquity was woven in between all of it.

These emotions, this chaos, was the baseline of his magic. It was the backbone of everything he'd learned. One shouldn't rely from one thing as the whole entire to everything he had and was. The chaos a human created fueled his magic which was why when there was a high level of chaos and made him feel light, happy, Invincible even. His body drew in the chaos and transformed it into magic power and concentrated it. Then there was Mating Season. It came once every two years and he already went through it earlier that year. It was now August and his was in June. Usually it lasted two weeks and so far the effects of mating season were always minimal. Thank Mavis for that.

"Natsu! Are you back yet!?" Ych, Speaking of mating season. Whenever she came around during those two weeks, the small she gave off absolutely revolted him. He often fought off the urge to throw her out of the guild's solid oak doors.

"Natsu! Answer me! I know you're here! Mira Told me so!" Damn that white-haired she-demon. Why did she open that big mouth of hers? If she hadn't he could have waited out the leech. Great. Another plan ruined.

"Natsu!" Had her scent and her voice gotten closer?

"Found ya." Chaos felt something grab his collar and jerk him over the ledge. He opened his eyes to see a huge pink and green bird with his clothes in it's claws. Great. It was the leech.

With an aggravated sigh the Dragon Slayer twisted in her claws and kicked the bird in the chest. With an 'oomph' the bird let go and dropped her victim. Chaos turned mid-air and dropped to the floor using the ground to absorb and cushion his fall. The word cracked and broke under the pressure and Chaos simply stood and brushed imaginary dust from his clothes. Then he turned as the bird transformed into the annoying white-hair leech with the high-pitched voice he always hated. The ever-present pushover that repulsed him to no end.

"Natsu! You're back! Did you miss me?" She asked as she hugged him. Natsu just pushed her off.

"Let go of me, you parasite."

"That is no way to talk to your only friend, Natsu."

"You aren't my friend."

"How many times have I told you, Happy doesn't count." Natsu huffed but refused to argue further. Instead he went to the bar. Mira slid him a root beer and didn't utter a word. Natsu pressed the cold glass bottle to his lips as the sycophant buzzed around him and tried to get him to talk. Amidst the flattery were questions revolving around Happy, his whereabouts and the duo's latest mission. Finally she asked the question he knew was burning inside her brainless head.

"I heard you went on a mission with some blond bimbo. Are the rumors true? Have you gotten a quean for yourself?" For some reason the words sparked something in his mind. Another idea came to him but he expelled the thought.

"Answer me, Natsu. Did you or did you not bring some slut off the street on a mission with you!?" Lisanna yelled. The volume of the guild suddenly became non-existent. The third glass bottle that Chaos had held in his possession shattered. A particularly sharp shard of glass dug itself deep into his palm causing deep scarlet blood to drip from his closed fist to the bar counter. Yet, the pain didn't register. Why did these hateful words rile him like they did? He was the one who hated people. Was it because before now no one had spat out harsh words towards their comrades? Though, that idea was extremely flexible. It didn't much concern him if it was their nature towards one, none, or all people they encountered. For instance, how it was way too common to have the she-demon and the scarlet swordswoman ate each other's throats but to be nice to most everyone else. The white-haired leech was another story.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. "I'm waiting," she added while tapping her foot. In that moment all tolerance that he had ever possessed, vanished. He stood, unable to choose whether he was angry or amused, and turned to face her. At full height he stood a head and a half taller than her and now he used it against her. Now, towering over her at five foot eleven the glared down at her.

"N–natsu?" She whimpered, withering under his gaze.

"What?" He growled.

"Y–you never answered m–my question."

"The one you were _waiting_ for?" She nodded.

"Dragnia, your hand!" Mira cried. Chaos pulled his hand up to his face and glanced at it. Then, he did something that completely angered the mages of Fairy Tail. He flicked his blood all over her face. He only did it once but the blood spatter covered her face and even spread to her hair and clothes.

"You think you even have the right to demand answers from me? Wait a moment. Does this sound familiar to you?" She shook her head.

"No? Well, rather than chastise you, why don't I beat it into you instead. That way you're sure to remember."

"NO!" Someone called out. Chaos pushed the leech to the floor and turned to the guild.

"Would any of you want to take her beating instead?" They all stood and turned to face the fearsome Chaos Dragon Slayer.

"Oh? You would all like to take me on?" Natsu held out a hand and inside it formed a huge black scythe. With the other he aimed at the guild members and multiple bluish black orbs now floated above his head. He glared at the guild and saw his prey's older brother sling forward. Instead of take a battle stance he grabbed his little sister and ran back to the safety of the crowd. Then slowly, oh so slowly, the whole guild backed down. For whatever reason, the guild didn't feel like fighting today. Whatever.

"She-demon. Root Beer to the second floor." Without waiting for a response Natsu wrapped himself in his cloak faster than most could follow and disappeared. The breath that the guild members didn't know they were holding was released as the threat of danger past. Normally they would all jump at the chance to take on Chaos. This time, however, was different. Sure they all loved the thrill of the fight but with a new member they wanted to show her their good side as well. They didn't need the blond to draw even closer to the Dragon Slayer until they had the chance to show her the other side of who they were. They could be the fierce, rowdy, battle hungry guild but they could also be fun-loving, caring, and protective. They just need to show the blond. Hopefully it wouldn't take long.

* * *

 **Aanndd...done! What do you think? I really liked how the end of the vulcan battle turned out. I also think that I possibly did a good job explaining Natsu's magic. Hopefully it makes sense. And as you read there will be mating season but that is in the far future and it is not the biggest part of the story. It is it's own arc at most. Don't forget. Reviews are welcome and I will post the next chapter when the flow ends, when the chapter is done, and when the follower count ends in a 5 or 0. So don't let it stop on any other number my beautiful peeps.**

 **Thank you to NightVVingz, , maidenoftheluminousrapture, CherryBlossomFire, Alexxavior, SummieBee567, CatBug2602, manga4eva, pokemonlover369, PhantomWalker1313, BloodyAsylum, kharyeon, Zani45, filmscorelover, SakuraDarkside, Gaara Girls, Zahia ouzidane, Awesome393, dianaemrys15, primsgirl89, and Demonleonhart for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales.**

 **Thank you to Tractu Temporis, maidenoftheluminousrapture, CatBug2602, pokemonlover369, SakuraDarkside, Zahia ouzidane, S-Wanderer999, CherryBlossomFire, Alexxavior, Awesome393, Demonleonhart, and dianaemrys15 for becoming the newest favoriteers to Dragons Scales.**

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 **~Bring me your ideas.**

 **~6,000 words.**

 **~Peace out!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Good morning my faithful followers. It's about time I posted the next chapter. So, the first time that I reached one of the requirements (follower # ends with a 5 or 0) I didn't have the story finished. And that angered me so much. I thought for sure that I would have it done before the next person followed. It did not work. As a result, I had to wait until I finished the chapter. And the 16th was my parent's anniversary. It was then that I got this tablet that I'm posting this chapter from. I can actually post the next chapter from this tablet guys. Isn't that amazing? Plus you also have to think for being the 140th follower of Dragon Scales. Can you believe it? 140. I am so happy, you guys don't even know! It's indescribable. So now I'll stop my rambling and let you guys enjoy the next chapter of Dragon Scales.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my thoughts.**

 **~~Chapter 8~~**

"What the hell is wrong with you? How could you endanger yourself like that? He could've killed you!" Gray shouted at Lisanna.

"I–I–I don– I don't know! Ok?! I don't know!" Lisanna shouted back as she pulled at her hair in frustration.

"What were you thinking, Lisanna?" her brother asked.

"I'm sorry, Elfman, everyone." Teers struck the corners of her eyes.

"I–I don't k–know w–what came o–over me."

"What do you mean?" A tall man with tall hat asked.

"It's hard to explain, Jet."

"How so? Try to explain, Lis. We need to know what's going on. You never acted this way before," said a green haired woman. Her cowboy hat slid as she tilted her head to the side. Concern was plastered all over her face.

"Ok, Bisca. I'll try. I don't think you understand it, though... I–It Was as though I suddenly became overwhelmed that jealous. I couldn't stop myself. It–... It was like... every negative thought, every bad action, every hateful word inside me became one and it just...spilled out against the newby. I don't know why it was her and I just couldn't be mad at you guys. What's wrong with me!?" She sobbed into her hands. Donuts go down in sympathy. They didn't know exactly what was wrong nor how to fix it.

"It's called overexposure." A new voice called out. Everyone turned to see a tall scarlet haired woman walking up to the crowd.

"What do you mean, Erza?" asked Lisanna.

"It's because all the time you spent with Dragnia. The evil that he draws out infected you."

"He has an infected me with anything!" Lisanna countered.

"Maybe not but he has that effect on people."

"H–How do y–you know?" She stammered.

"Because... he's doing that exact thing, on purpose, to someone else."

"Who?" At that very moment, as if the very mention of her person summoned her, a loud, contagious laughter filled the guild hall and like a magnet everyone's attention was drawn to it. Especially that certain someones.

As it turned out, Magnolia's Celestial Spirit summoner and Solid Script mage, had a lot in common and got along swimmingly. So after what seemed like many, many hours (though it was only about an hour and a half) they decided to return to the guild. Neither were expecting the scene they received when they got there. Their laughter filled the hall, that is until they realized they were being stared at by everyone. Their laughter died and they stood there awkwardly until Levy broke the silence.

"H–Hey. Everyone. T–This is Lucy. She's our newest member." Lucy waved which was followed again by silence. Lucy looked around the guild and spotted Chaos reaching the bottom of the stairs. Without a second thought, she ran over to him and threw her arms around him and retracted before he could growl at her.

"Good morning, Serpent," she whispered. "Looks like you, Happy and Mira aren't my only my only friends now." The blond smiled. The dragon slayer simply growled in response.

"Don't be that way. If you didn't have any concern you wouldn't have sent Happy." see her pretending to be angry. Meanwhile, ocean blue eyes watching the exchange with the growing hatred. How dare she? Some stranger couldn't just Waltz in here and steal her dragon from her. Where did she come from? She couldn't possibly be close to him. She didn't know him like she did. The Stranger couldn't know his past, or his favorite food, or his hobbies, or his habits, or his behavior like she did. Yet, why did she run to Natsu almost as soon as she got to the guild, right when things got awkward? Why was she talking to him like they had known each other forever? Anger, jealousy, hatred, and a whole lot of other emotions rose as Lisanna stomped her way over to the pair. People kept trying to block her but she simply dodged them. She made her way up to them and whereas before she couldn't get them talk, now she could. And it set her blood on boil.

"Are you sure it's okay? I don't have that many friends. What if I can't make any friends?" Sick of the innocence that dripped from the blonde's tone, Lisanna spoke.

"Well, would you look at that? it looks like _my_ dragon slayer found a quean for himself during his latest mission." The blonde turned.

"Excuse me?" She asked, happiness still evident in her voice.

"You heard me, you blonde bimbo."

"I think you're mistaken, Miss. I don't know what you're talking about. Surely you must be talking about someone else." The corners of her mouth quivered.

"I'm not. Stay away from him." Lisanna gestured to the pink-haired man beside Lucy.

"Natsu? Why would I–?" Lucy's head whipped to the side and a sudden stinging sensation appeared on her cheek. Lucy touched her cheek realizing that this white-haired stranger had just slapped her. And for what?

"Wh–"

"Don't act like you know him. You don't know anything about him. You don't deserve his attention. You don't get to invade our lives and change everything. You don't–"

Invade? What was she talking about? Change everything? What exactly was she changing? Didn't deserve Natsu's attention? Of course she didn't! But who was this woman to tell her that she didn't deserve the attention of someone who saved her life twice, brought her to her dream Guild, and made her feel as if she was actually _part_ of a family? Why did she suddenly get the right to tell her to do anything?

"–so why don't you run along and be someone else's whore, you slut?" Lisanna ended with a smile. Whore? Slut? Just who did this woman think she was to call her a slut?

As Lucy thought to herself, her thoughts became darker, grew sinister and everyone except Lisanna could tell. Lucy stood with her bangs covering her eyes, her fists clenched other sides, and her body trembling. though she missed a small part of the speech Lisanna Dave the fact wasn't lost on her period The Guild Mark had long since turned black and now it almost throbbed with energy. And hearing the last sentence, Lucy's sense of rationality broke.

"Who do you think you are, huh?" Lucy said in an eerily calm quiet voice.

"Who are you to judge what kind of person I am, was, or will be? Who you to delegate who or how many friends Natsu can have?Who are you to decide what a person does or does not deserve to have his attention? How do you know you deserve his attention? What makes you think what is move that you deserve his attention anymore than I do, you white-haired doxy? And a sycophant such as yourself. You call me a quean, what are you a trollop?" As she spoke she slowly rose her head and stared straight into the eyes of her offender. A dark grin called across your face. Lisanna, on the other hand, looked appalled.

"I am not a trollop!"

"What are you then? A chippie? A floozy? A flunky? A fancy woman? Be careful, you might not like the answer."

"A fancy woman!" Lisanna blurted

"You know what that means, right? It's a woman with questionable morals. Or more specifically, a prostitute," Lucy twirled some blond strands around her fingers as she answered smugly. My was this fun.

"How dare you?! That's not what I am!"

"Isn't it? You called me all those horrible names, why can't I do the same!" The smile and the joking tone vanished only to be replaced with anger and a scowl.

"What gives you the right to put yourself on a pedestal taller than me?"

"How do you know that Natsu didn't give me those right?" Lisanna replied hotly.

"Why would he? What's so special about you? I bet you do nothing but follow him around hoping to be part of his life. You probably irritate him to no end. That is nothing but sad and pathetic. And if there's one thing that Natsu hates it's someone who is completely pathetic."

"Oh yeah? And what did you do to gain his favor?" She asked accusingly.

"He merely saved my life. Twice. Nothing special. It's gotta suck, doesn't it? That I can to save her so quickly and you have never been able to."

"That's it! Animal soul: bird!" There was a bright light Incidentally orange green and pink bird appeared in the parasite's place.

"So, you want to play with magic? I'll give you Magic. Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" out of nowhere came in a large bull with an axe as last time and before he said anything Lucy spoke first.

"Don't even. She needs to be taught a lesson."

"As you wish, Miss Luuucy."

"Hiding behind your Spirits like a shield, you coward?" Lisanna sneered. Lucy scoffed.

"Now Taurus!" Taurus threw his fist into the ground making it splinter and causing a shockwave to move in a line towards Lisanna. The white-haired female simply dodged by lifting herself into the air. Without missing a beat Taurus took his axe off his back and swung it repeatedly at his opponent. As result she has hazardly zigzaged and practically stumbled to the floor. As she quickly stood Taurus once again punched the ground this time hitting his opponent and causing her to fly back and crash against the wall. The force of the blow causing the wall to crack beneath her. She then peeled herself off the wall before starting her own attack. She dodged his axe and slashed him in the process. Then flying up to Lucy she grabbed her shirt and threw her into the same wall.

The wall didn't stand a chance as the force of Lucy's body weight against it caused it to break, allowing her to fly through more walls until she hit the dirt outside the guild. She rolled, inadvertently coating herself in dust, and pushed herself back up. She brushed the broken pieces of wall from her clothes and arms as she watched Taurus come barreling outside. He was followed by Lisanna who carefully avoided the broken wood pieces. Which was quite difficult due to her large size. The two females glared at each other as everyone rushed outside to watch to watch the fight ensue. Lisanna rushed forward and repeatedly slashed at Taurus but not without receiving the few hits from him as well. Finally, with an apology, Taurus faded back into the celestial world. Lisanna smiled.

"Animal soul: cat!" Lisanna shouted. Lucy smirked and reached for another key.

"What are you smirking about?" Lisanna asked incredulously.

"Well, it's just that I haven't really contributed to this fight very much, now have I?. I decide it's time we change that. So, if your cat then... I guess I'll have to be your trainer." With her other hand, she drew her whip and unrolled it with a crack on the ground.

"Open! The of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"

"Ha! Like you can stop me with the puny scorpion," Lisanna mocked seconds before the spirit appeared.

"We'll see." The smoke cleared and standing beside her was the same spirit she called last time with his white and red hair and his scorpion stance.

"I was born to be wicked! Wicked timing, Lucy. Is it my turn?"

"Why yes, Scorpio. And we're going to wipe the floor with her. No one disrespects me or my friends," Lucy ended with a growl.

"Dark Lucy. Wicked. Don't worry Lucy. We'll have a wicked time beating her to a pulp." Scorpio smirked at Lisanna's clearly agitated form.

"Yeah right. We'll see who mops the floor with who." Lucy and Scorpio both smirked but otherwise didn't speak as they stood waiting for Lisanna to make a move. Lisanna scowled and let loose some type of weird battle cry as she threw herself forward with her claws outstretched. Lisanna's outfit was a revealing one compared to Lucy's. Lisanna wore a white and navy blue striped bikini with striped ears and a tail to match. Her hands and feet were covered by what seemed to be oversized paws with sharp claws at the end. Meanwhile the blond's clothing wasn't as revealing but it wasn't completely modest either. When Lucy left the library with Levy they had stopped by Lucy's apartment for a change of clothes. You may seem confused as to why Lucy had already found a place to live without actually having spent any time looking for one. The answer? Happy. As you may or may not have noticed, Happy wasn't always accounted for. It was during one of those times, take your pick, that happy had taken the time to set up an appointment. You already know where the vacant apartment somewhere, even before he met Lucy and once they left the library happy showed Lucy where her new home was.

Now, Lucy stood before Lisanna in a slightly torn pink jacket with a tight black T-shirt the cut a bit low around her bust. Tight black pants hugged her legs and hips leaving little to the imagination. Around her waist was the same silver belt as last time where the same silver cylinder hung. Her stance is loose and looked for most uncoordinated as she waited for Lisanna's charged. This only seemed to anger her more. Then as soon as she got close enough to land a blow, Scorpio moved, much to Lisanna's already boiling rage.

"Sand wall!" Scorpio clapped his hands together and a huge wall of sand exploded between the two females. Lisanna let out a cry of irritation. All the sudden something long and possibly sharp flew past her face and retracted. Feeling something slide down her cheek the Take-over mage put two fingers to her cheek, which returned coated and her own scarlet blood.

"You bitch!" Lisanna yelled.

"What? Can't stand the sight of your own blood? Pathetic." The sand wall fell forward and with it came Lucy who delivered a blow to her unguarded and unsuspecting side. She flew a few feet landed harshly on her bottom. With a glare she stood and with a speed only achieved from her suit, she launched her own attack. She slashed at her opponent, trying so hard to hit the women who had taken her project away from her. She had taken the only thing worthwhile in her life. Sure, at the beginning it hadn't been a project but as time went on it had morphed. Then when there had been another woman in his life it had become a competition. Now, it was a fight to determine who got the dragon slayer. A fight she desperately needed to win.

However, as the youngest Strauss sibling attempted to hit her opposition she found she couldn't even land a blow. The blond-haired bitch she was trying to hit kept moving. True to her word, the blond did in fact avoid and block every blow her opponent tried to make. And that was a feat in itself. It was an ability granted by the suit that she could move faster than most but Lucy not only managed to avoid to keep up but also seemed to stay ahead of her. All of a sudden the celestial mage lashed out a kick that sent Lisanna flying. Then she stood and raced forward only to receive several cut as Lucy skillfully dealt blows to Lisanna's face, arms, legs and torso. Blood dripped from every wound and stained her clothes and skin before falling to the dirt below. More skin was sliced open every time the black whip touched her body. As Lisanna drew close Lucy dropped to the ground with her body supported by her arms and legs.

"Sand Buster!" Came a shout from behind her. This drew the attention of the audience who noticed the similar stance between spirit and mage. The gun on Scorpio's back aimed and spit out a large tornado at her moving form. Unable to move fast enough the blast hit her dead on, forcing her to the ground. She hit the ground, hard, and it forced the air from her lungs. Before she had the chance to move, the black whip from Lucy's hand wrapped around Lisanna's neck. She struggled against it trying, without success, to set herself free and didn't even bother to keep herself up off the ground. Just as she was about to loosen the noose around her neck, a pressure on her just stopped her. She looked up to find her competition above her. Her whip was in her hand, which tightened, cutting further into her already short air supply , and her stiletto booties heel digging further into her chest. Lisanna glared while Lucy simply smirked down at her.

"Now, let's get something straight, you pesky lick-spittle. You hold no rights over me or _my_ dragon slayer. As much as he doesn't belong to me, he is _mine_. And whatever claim you think you have on him is gone. You can't tell me not to be his friend nor restrict me from doing what I want."

"You...can't t–take...him away...from me." Lucy tightened her grip. Then she smiled a sickly wicked smile.

"I can't take away what isn't yours. And to prove it, I'm going to get closer to him than you ever could."

"H–how? Y–you...couldn't p–possibly."

"Watch me." Lucy turned her gaze to the audience in search of her _precious_ violent temper dragon slayer. After a minute of searching her big chocolate brown eyes finally locked onto her prize. He stood at the edge of the ring before far enough as to not draw attention to himself. No one noticed but he looked so content that anything could happen and he wouldn't mind. Lucy's eyes gleamed as she stalked her way over to him. She felt everyone's eyes on her and she purposely added more sway to her steps. Her gaze met with his and blocked out everyone else. As she neared his personal bubble, he stared at her and she refused to back up. He was wondering, waiting for her to do something. And do something she would.

Without missing a beat she entered his bubble. The guild watched in anticipation. Then without hesitation she slid her slim fingers into his thick pink hair and pulled him roughly to her lips. The dragon slayer was shocked, no dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. She kissed him. She actually kissed him. Yet, with the anger, lust, and chaos she gave off and the chaos he already absorbed, he couldn't find it in himself to care. Rather, he kissed her back just as roughly. When he did, Lucy grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. When he complied she took a step further and pushed her body into his so far that not even air could escape.

Everyone watching have one of three reactions. One: they fainted, two: they fell over, or three: stared at the couple with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Lisanna herself was in tears. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't happening! It was a trick. It had to be right?! That blonde would pay if it was the last thing she ever did. Meanwhile, Lucy still had Natsu in a heated lip-lock. Granted, he didn't do anything but he didn't resist either. Lucy gripped hard onto his hair and snaked her tongue along his lips. He indulged her and parted only for her to dip her you tongue in his mouth before retracting. A string of saliva stuck, connecting their tongues as Lucy pulled away. She turned and glared at her once aggressive opposition before scoffing and and walking back towards the guild.

Levy was the first to move and raced after her new best friend. Once people recovered from the shock they too made their way back to the guild. As they passed Lisanna, however, they each passed their own judgement on the situation. Some felt guilty that they didn't try to protect their newest member from the verbal abuse Lisanna had dealt. After all, they couldn't believe those words actually came from their beloved takeover mage. She used to be so sweet and unable to speak ill against anyone. They were glad that the blonde stood up for herself and were not only ready to come to her aid when she would need but was glad Lisanna got what she deserved.

Others were the complete opposite. They were angry with the blonde had changed the dynamics of their lives and felt that she was the reason for Lisanna's change in personality. Then she had the audacity to inflict harm upon her. Granted, there weren't that many who felt this way but still. The majority felt as if they should get to know the stranger before they passed their own judgement. As Lucy walked back to the guild she waved to those following her and revealed her black guild mark that was slowly fading to it's original pink. Not that anyone could clearly see that yet. Once Levy and Lucy were seated, Levy began her interrogation.

"That was so cool, Lu. Where did you learn to do that?" Giant bright stars sparkled around her pupils.

"Oh stop, Lev. It wasn't that great," Lucy insisted playfully.

"It was too! Where did you learn it?"

"Nowhere special. It was mostly just long hours of practice and hard work."

"Still, you had to learn it somewhere." Just as the blonde was about to answer, two figures trudged up to the pair trying to look intimidating. Although they were opposite gender, neither looked more intimidating than the other. The scarlet-haired female spoke first cutting off what Lucy was about to say.

"Some skill you showed out there, and from what I hear, you spend a lot of time with Chaos." Lucy turned and with a glance at Levy calmed the anger rising within her.

"Thank you and it's mostly because he was my first friend. Don't you spend a lot of time with your friends?"

"I suppose. After all–"

"How the hell did you become friends with a monster like him?!" The navy-haired male exclaimed, interrupting his comrade. She cleared and rose her fist to hit him when the celestial mage spoke up.

"It's a good question, you know. Many have asked me that and simply reflecting on it, I'm not really sure either. I've heard stories, many of which state would a horrible creature he is but I don't see the truth in all of them. Sure, I've seen many traits, but I've also seen things completely the opposite of them. How many of you tried to do things his way? Try to do things by his standards? Did you only try to force your way then give up? Or did you simply see what you wanted to see and then left it at that?" she glared at him before turning a soft look at his friend.

"Could I at least know your names before you interrogate me further?" the two interrogators glance at each other and turned black back to the blonde.

"Erza Scarlet," the redhead stated proudly.

"Gray Fullbuster," the male provided afterward.

"However, I do see your point, Lucy. It's not only your fault you became friends with Chaos. And if he doesn't treat you like he treats us, I guess we have no right to force you apart."

"How can you say that! How can you agree to let her stay with that psycho!" Lucy's eyes narrowed and her fingers begin to slither towards her whip. The movement drew Erza's eyes and she watched the guild mark on her hand slowly growing darker.

"You know what he's done. You've seen what he's capable of! He can't be trusted!" Gray spat. Erza said nothing as she observed the silently fuming blond. She watched as the mark grew darker and she noted her behavior. Her knuckles turned white as she grabbed the handle of her whip. Just as she was about to crack the end on his cheek and armored fist connected with the back of his head. His eyes went wide and the force of the blow knocked his face to the wooden floor.

"I'm so sorry about him. There are so many things wrong with him. That includes speaking with no regard to anyone else's feelings. It also includes rash decision making."

"It's quite all right," she responded with a smile. Her slim fingers eased off and the whip and slid back to her lap.

"To be honest, from all the things I've heard I can understand your concern. But I don't need him or anyone else telling me who I should or should not be friends with. Nor do I need to be lectured on how I spend my time or who I spend it with. I get that you're worried, I do. And no one has ever done that for me before but I don't need anyone bossing my life. It's just not something I need." Erza nodded in understanding. Then she motioned to Mira.

"Strawberry cake, please."

"Whatever you say, stage fright," the barmaid muttered under her breath. If Erza noticed she didn't respond and continued her conversation with her new friend.

"You like strawberry cake?" Lucy asked.

"I do indeed," she replied with a nod.

"Cool. Although it isn't my favorite, I still love strawberry.

"Lucy... I believe we're going to be great friends," Erza said as she slammed Lucy's head into her breastplate. Lucy simply smiled and patted her arm and retracted herself. The three girls continued to talk until they heard a groan coming from the floor below them. Then the navy-haired male pushed himself off the wooden floor and collapsed onto a wooden stool beside Erza. He rubbed the back of his head and turned to face Lucy. Her eyes narrowed and her fingers begin to drift towards her whip once again.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just taken by surprise. No one's ever–"

"Gone on a mission with him, and his friend, blah, blah, blah. I know, Gray. I've heard it all before. You don't need to be so worried. I can handle this." Gray nodded and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"So what do you plan on doing now?" Gray asked. Lucy sighed.

"I don't know. What do you guys normally do here?"

"Well, it depends. We normally go on missions, hang out at the guild, stuff like that. There isn't that much to do but if you have enough friends it doesn't get boring."

"Well, it's not like I have many friends. They all judge me for being friends with Natsu before getting to know me. So far it's only been Levy, Mira, and Erza and even Erza questioned me," Lucy answered with a frown.

"Don't worry Lucy. I'm your friend too and I promise to protect you from any who would judge before learning about you." Gray mock saluted. Lucy smiled.

"And I as well," added Erza.

"Oh, you guys!" Tears pricked her eyes as she drew her new friends into a tight hug. They all smiled and hugged her back as they realized they had a new friend and they could slowly pull her to the light side. All the sudden a high-pitch whistle echoed around the guild. It was meant for one yet two responded. The first was Happy.

Now Happy... Happy was kind of all over the place. When the girls had entered the guild Happy had curled himself around Lucy's neck like always. When Lisanna came he hid himself within salmon spikes and remained there up until the end of the fight. At that point he once again moved so he could have a better view of the now-empty battlefield. After the dangerous pair's presentation of dominance came to an end, Happy decided to wait for his one and only, blonde-haired best friend, to join him. So there he sat as he watched her make new friends while stuffing fish into his small little face. Then the whistle pierced his ears.

That whistle that signaled the end of his boredom. That whistle that meant life or death for the proud members of the massive, popular Fairy Tail Guild. That whistle that came from his first-ever best friend and Father Figure. He could easily fit Lucy as his sister, but after a show like earlier, plus who knows how many more in the future, it would be safer if not easier to class her as his second best friend and mother figure. Yet, when that whistle sounded, when it passed through the lips of his favorite dragon slayer he knew that he was treasured. Even if it came from a ferocious being everyone called a monster.

Stuffing his last fish into his mouth, Happy stood and took off. Behind him, someone else stood as well. Not knowing anyone else that could possibly respond to the whistle, Happy simply ignored them. His white angel wings flapped in the air as he floated past everyone, excitement slowly growing his small body. Where would they go? Who would they see? What was the mission? Who would they fight? Who was the client? Would Lucy be joining the duo on a mission? Or would she stay home?

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Guild Hall, someone else was watching intently. His salmon locks swayed as he took another swig of his root beer. His canines sparkled as he licked the remaining droplets off and smiled. After witnessing this hardly significant event, something became apparent and abundantly clear. After this mission, training would be required.

* * *

 **Now, to answer some questions. First of all, zzMiya-chanzz completely correct with her prediction in her review. I was freaking little bit scared. She was dead on. It was kind of amazing. Next, as you noticed Lucy is stronger. As to when she will get more powers that is a question that will be answered later. And now the question that has been burning in my mind since I got it.**

 **Will the rating change? Maybe. I don't really write M rated. I'm just too new at that. However, anyone can send me their entry. And if I get in entry that I really really like, I might put it somewhere in my story. I'm totally not against it. I just can't write it myself just yet. But we'll see if we get there. So, if you guys want something M rated in my story you have to write it and send it to me. It may seem like a lot of work, I know you can do it and you might be rewarded with it being put into my story. I'm so excited. Granted, I may not actually get any but that still does not stop my excitment.**

 **And lastly, before I forget, Dragon Scales has been nominated for the Favorite Fairy Tail fanfiction 2016. So, I need every one of you guys to vote for me. Pucksabrinadaphne is doing the contest and it ends the 7th of August. Please help Dragon Scales get to the next round. I'm counting on you guys.**

 **Also, if anyone has any other questions, I want you to ask. I love your ideas and I don't mind the criticism. Just let me know. So that concludes my monolog. See you next time.**

 **Thank you to bradleymoore46, aidansidhe, FlameDragonHime, Nightcore's Lover, Ange1ofD3m0ns, EchizenRyoma, KrispiKreme, NaLu DrAgNeEl - SeIrEi MaDoShI, anjello, monst89, AnonymousStalkerFriend, FireWolf2012, qasderwed, Wolf Knight Lukos, NotObsessionnalYet, Dank Dang, Mayanian, Isabelle94, Brokenwingsz, andfanfic-lover150 for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales.**

 **Thank you to MuveMuse, BeastlyTick59, FlameDragonHime, Nightcore's Lover, Johnny Spectre, Ange1ofD3m0ns, anjello, AnonymousStalkerFriend, lee79893v, FireWolf2012, qasderwed, NotObsessionnalYet, queenknight, Dank Dang, Isabelle94, and fanfic-lover150 for becoming the newest favoriteers of Dragon Scales.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Favorite, follow, review**

 **~Peace out!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Good morning, my faithful followers. Its been awhile hasn't it? But it happened. It's finally here. And it's actually morning when I post this, isn't that fun? I actually finished typing this chapter a few days ago and have been waiting for the 175th follower. Now I have them it's time to dish out the rewards. Yay! So, I got one review that got me thinking. It made me realize that they were completely correct and I realized that Erza, Gray, and Lucy became friends really fast. I originally had a different beginning but in the end it was simply scooted down some.**

 **Also recognize that I do know which order Lucy got her keys in and I want you to know that it's completely intentional. I also want it to be known that I haven't watched these old episodes in forever so I'm just going on memory. I realize as well that because of the different order that Lucy received her keys that I will need to rewrite some things. Don't worry, its common fact. Last thing, as for rating I'm still undecided so it will stay for now.**

 **Disclaimer: Not needed. You know I own nothing**

 **~~Chapter 9~~**

Overexposure. The obvious answer for a serious question. Did he even know he is doing it? He had to have some idea of what he doing. Did she know that this was going to happen? She couldn't possibly expected this to happen, could she? Was this part of a some diabolical plot? Did she even want this happen? Was she ever going to get back to normal? Or did she not want to change back?

Family. Were they her family anymore? Did she even want them as her family? Or had she given that up for a man who didn't even want her? Ever since that first interaction, Erza had never found the state of mind it took to trust Chaos. Lisanna had. Erza could not even begin to understand it. Sure, when you're part of a family a person did not always listen to what was said, even if it was to protect them. However, this scenario was completely different. On almost every level imaginable.

Fantasy. There was a major difference between fantasy and reality and Lisanna had apparently mixed them up. In the books that Erza had read when the girl wanted the bad boy, the bad boy had wanted her back. They defied what their friends and family wanted just to be together. Yet, this was nowhere near the same thing. It wasn't even in the same genre. She followed him like a lost puppy dog and he continually and viciously and possibly literally kicks her to the curb. Couldn't she realize that he wanted nothing to do with her? He had proved that he hated her so many times, why couldn't she accept it?

Defiance. Now, that was something not everyone or almost anyone could use against Chaos. Many, if not most everyone he encountered thought they had that power. Even Erza herself fell under that category. When she tried to protect Lisanna during that first interaction with that...beast. She had tried many times after that, oh how she tried, to set her free, to protect her from a life of torment and heartbreak. Yet, all she got back was defiance. Focusing on defiance still, it brought done else to mind, the new member. Now, that was a level of defiance she had never seen before. She had not only defied him but was submissive at the is time. She challenged him but on several accounts said she was lesser than him. She was a person who was completely different and unpredictable.

Initial interaction. That was a sight to see. And both were on opposite sides of the scale. First, there was Lisanna's. She had worked up the courage to talk to him for the sake of everyone, only for him to explode in anger and lash out. Since that moment he had only grown stronger in magic and in physical strength. Sure, she and others as well over the years but that meant very little if it meant anything at all. He had defeated her when they were little and it left little room for doubt now. Then, there was the blond. She was shoved through the doors of the guild, bickered with Happy and seeked Natsu for only short periods of time. Then there was the fight. He had commanded Happy to grab her and when it wasn't how she liked shows lashed out verbally. After all, from her position it wasn't like she could really do anything else.

Rather, he gave her an opportunity and she took it with no hesitation. She didn't try a direct or even the brute force tactic. She used a distraction and well thought out movements to get close enough to prove a single point instead of demanding more than the show was worth. That was the initial moment when the blond had gained a sliver of favor from the redhead herself. Then there was something else Erza had saw before the trio had left the guild. She didn't see it in the dragon slayer nor did she see it in his foe. She saw it in Happy.

Dedication and loyalty. Granted, she took note that later the two humans had displayed these qualities but the feline we first. The talking, angel-winged cat was loyal to no one except the slayer who raised him. That is until the blond was shoved into the guild. They bantered like siblings and joked like best friends whom had known each other their whole lives. What was weird was Chaos accepting the relationship. No outside person was ever that close to Happy. New even Lisanna. Not that she ever had a chance in the first place.

Regardless, the blond mage had interwoven herself, possibly unknowingly or unwittingly, into their lives. Then there was the incident of after Levy came back with Happy and the new member whose name sounded like Lushy?...Luigi? Who knows. Either way, he was never that far from her at any given time. Lastly, and probably the most commendable, was something Lisanna had forsaken either recently or long ago.

Preservation of self. Though it might not have been intentional by either parties it was something in place since the very beginning. Lisanna was in a losing battle with her darkside. All those years of being at Chaos's side had taken a huge toll on her. However, instead of being at his side it was more like off to the side and dragging behind. He never let her get closer than sitting three feet away. And if Erza thought about it she could recall small differences in speech and attitude over the years. Small slips of the tongue or a minor change in clothing. There was even hints of a lesser friendly aura on the edges of her persona. They appeared and disappeared in an instant and were gone before anyone could notice. Had she really been that bad of a friend that she couldn't see that her rival's baby sister was changing before her very eyes?

The blonde, however, didn't exactly have that problem. It seemed that her darkside was a part of her person. It had first shown when she became angry that she was unable to do something for herself. Lis would loved not having to do something if she could help it. Yet, that too was a recent development. Then after the first battle the blonde, after proving a point of dignity and self-worth, had walked away with several new things. Pride. Self-assurance. Favor from not only Happy and Chaos but from many others as well. Even if it was only a sliver of favor, both Erza and Gray were part of this group. And this favor the blond expanded from the fight with Lisanna. She stood up for not only herself but her friends as well. Even if one was possibly a psycho killer. The fact that she stood up for them was enough to prove that she belonged to the guild. Which gave rise to the hope that she would mellow out if she even better friends. Contrary to what others might think, Erza had spent many days thinking about this very topic. And once the battle was over, she had made her decision. She would befriend the blond and find out June how and why she chose to have Chaos as a friend.

The same comparisons and logic and deep thinking did not, however, pass through her companion's head. Gray's thinking was nowhere near where Erza had taken hers. Gray hadn't even noticed the blond until the first battle with Chaos. He hadn't been there when Chaos had brought the girl. He had arrived minutes later and challenged him, only to be pummeled (though this wasn't Gray's choice) and replaced as his opponent. His place... taken not by Erza, not by Mira, but by some blond girl he'd never seen before. Then he was pushed away and forgotten like an old toy. And by a stranger no less! Then to actually hold her own against him? Un-freakin' believable. Then for the most dangerous being in all of earthland to leave the guild looking content as she was HOLDING HIS SCARF?! Was the world ending!? Was she some type of sorceress? Did she hold something type of spell over him? These dumb questions were the only things on his mind. Well done Gray. Way to state the obvious. It isn't like he was a sorcerer as well, right? After all, it isn't as if he was surrounded by other magics on a daily basis. But in all fairness, Gray did have a point. Most, if not all, could understand just _how_ a random girl, who was probably off the street anyway, an almost perfect stranger could have so much influence over someone who was practically immune to in and all types of persuasion.

That is until it explained in a single word that made a whole lotta sense. Overexposure. It could have happened to anyone. Yet, no one really wanted to go near Chaos. No one except those two girls. Lisanna and the blond. Yet, everyone could see the major difference between as to how that the two girls were treated. One had forced herself beside him and ended up losing the trust from most of her friends and family while the other appeared from out of nowhere, fought two her place and gained the approval of many. As for Gray, he really liked that she had stood up for herself, she protected her friends, (no matter how dangerous and evil and hated) and seemed to get along with people who didn't mind her friends. This meaning Levy. They seemed to be best friends even if they just met.

There was defiantly more to this girl than what met the eye. Maybe she could show him how she got the drop on Chaos. Maybe she could even shine a light on their friendship. Maybe it wasn't as instant as it seemed on the outside. After all, a person had to have a special kind of crazy to tolerate even being friends with a monster such as him. Lisanna's living proof of that.

* * *

Laughter. Friends. Happiness. Tears. Smiles. Hugs. That's what she remembered before the whistle. One would think something as small and insignificant wouldn't matter nor catch the attention of someone who had just made new friends. However, as it passed through her ears it became the only sound she heard. She softly and discretely pulled herself away from her friends saying there was something she needed to do and followed the sound. Above her she noticed that Happy we following the whistle sound as well. How odd was then? But, it could mean something else.

Could it mean that the whistle sound was something only for him? Was she not allowed to heed it's call? Would something happen to her if she did? There was only one way to find out. She followed the blue exceed as he flew through towards the balcony of the guild's second floor. There she saw two onyx eyes staring at her from the shadows. Steeling her nerves she pushed herself forward and follow the direction of the whistle. Happy seemed to be quite puts the balcony and at the last second to down towards the floor. Happy seemed to disappear making Lucy pause and glance at her surroundings. This whole area is a bit darker from the ground floor of the guild home. Taking a deep breath Lucy followed happy and let the darkness of the shadows swallow her whole.

Turns out, dark shadows aren't as dark as Lucy had once thought they were. She blinked, her eyes adjusting and looked around. There was a lone table in the center the darkness with a small blue feline in the middle, sitting next to a single, possibly empty, bottle of Root Beer. So if the bottle was there, and where was the drinker? Or was the bottle brought by someone else? She scanned the area around her and found nothing.

"What are you doing here?" A deep voice asked. Lucy spun to face the voice. There, staring down at her with glowing onyx eyes, was the chaos dragon slayer.

"I heard the whistle. Then I followed it...and Happy. It told me to come and I had to find out why."

"It did?" Happy asked.

"Yeah...what are you guys doing?"

"We're gonna go on a mission. And you're coming too."

"Really?" Excitement glittered in the blond's chocolate brown eyes. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't screwed up the last mission and now they were letting her come again. How exciting, for her at least.

"Yeah. Go pack, we'll meet you at the station."

"No." Natsu hissed.

"Natsu, the town is too far to walk to," Happy protested.

"Don't care. And don't bring your friends, Blondie. Too much baggage."

"You go, Lushy. I'll convince Natsu and we'll meet you."

"Okay. Don't forget that once we're one the train you have to fill me in. There are some surprises that I can't stand." With that the smiling blond turned and left the shadows.

"Is it just me or did that seem a little dark?" Happy asked.

"Both." As for Lucy, she was still smiling when she reappeared into the light of the rest of the hall. Erza, whom had seen her both disappear and reappear waved her back to the bar. Lucy shrugged and made her way back the redhead. She had hardly sat down before the questions started. The 'where did you go?' and 'did he hurt you?' Even 'what did you talk about?' just after 'were you with Chaos?' and 'why did you leave?' Lucy sighed. Were all light side friends this obnoxious? Surely not as Levy wasn't like the. Hopefully soon, the swordswoman would recognize that she needn't worry. When the blond finally got a word in, it froze everyone in the vicinity.

"Calm down, Erza. I'm fine. Look, I got to go. Natsu, Happy and I are going on a mission and I need to go pack." The resulting reaction was instantaneous. The entire guild somehow managed to hear the words tumble from her lips. The loud words of "WHAT! AGAIN!?' echoed around the hall. It was even heard clearly from the street, where people ripped from their thoughts thus startling them and causing a few heart attacks. The celestial mage then slid from her wooden stool while running a hand through her hair. Why did her guildmates have to be so annoying? She had almost made it to the door when Erza's voice stopped her.

"Lucy wait! At least let me join you! " Lucy huffed in anoyance and turned.

"Why?

"He's dangerous!"

"I know. And...?"

"You need protection." Erza's voice seemed to get quieter with every response. After all, Lucy seemed to get angrier with every response. And an angry Lucy was not something everyone wanted to see. But why wouldn't she? Erza didn't think think that Lucy could handle a certain dragon slayer. Even after proving time and time again that she was capable enough for him. Why didn't any of them trust her? Or maybe...it wasn't a matter of trust... but maybe it was a matter of fear. Did they really fear him that much that they would completely forget her accomplishments? Fear was truly a remarkable concept.

"Since when do I need protection, Erza?" Lucy forced herself to get angry with Erza. It was not really necessary. Especially over such a lame discussion.

"S–since...um...w–well..."

"I appreciate your concern, Erza. I really do but...thanks but no thanks. I really need to pack. I promise I'll come back in one piece."

"No! Take made with you! I know–..." As Erza continued to rant and move closer Lucy pulled out a golden key from her belt. Without really moving the celestial mage chanted the words and created the motions thus summoning her spirit. He appeared silently and before uttering a word was given silent instructions through his master's hand gestures. The red-head was advancing and no one was inclined to stop her. The concern and worry that was initially on her face was soon replaced with anger as she drew nearer to her target.

Why was this blond so insistent on going without her? Sure, she understood that she had a right to hang out with her friends but why couldn't she stay longer? As the thoughts swirled around her head, the angrier she became. Why wouldn't the blond let her come with? Why wouldn't she let her protect her? Erza reached out to grab her when the oddest this happened. She was stopped...by an axe that was inches away from cutting into her armor. Silence. Erza blinked. What just happened? Erza glanced at the axe wielder to find a humanoid cow thing scowling at her.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Erza. Natsu said no friends."

"Chaos said?" Erza asked ignoring the cow.

"Yeah."

"And you're OK with that? You're going to obey his every command? Follow his every whim? Without any questions once or ever?"

"If I feel like it. But he's letting me go on a mission and with him and Happy and I'm not about to mess that up. So I have to do what he tells me. Even if I don't like it. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to listen to him! You don't have to act like this!"

"Yes I do, Erza. I can act any way I want and no one can tell me otherwise. Just like this mission. So if you don't let me leave willingly than Taurus is going to force you to let me go. Either way, I'm leaving and you aren't coming." During the entire conversation Lucy's voice had fluctuated. In some parts it sounded sad and possibly regretful while in others it was angry and irrigated. Everyone could say they expected a different outcome than what actually happened. The redhead narrowed her eyes before nodding.

"Very well. If this the way you want it, then that is the way you will receive it," Erza reluctantly agreed.

"Requip! Heaven's Wheel!" There was a bright flash of light and when it faded she was wearing a completely different armor. Plated armor covered her chest with a large metal flower over it. Sitting at her hips was a large billowing skirt with metal plating in the upper areas leaving her neck and stomach uncovered. Large metal wings, that looked like individual blades, were on her back and large wing-like headpiece was sitting in her hair. She looked at Lucy sadly.

"I'm sorry if it's come to this," Lucy hissed. Yet the tears to contradict her words. Summoning a sword in each hand the requip mage lunged at her opponent. Faster than he seemed, Taurus easily matched her speed despite his large size. While the two were deeply engaged in their battle, the blond slipped out of the guild and not wasting time watching the fight. Finally, she entered the outside world and before she could start for her apartment, a voice stopped her. Cautiously she pulled out another key from her belt.

"Hey Lucy! Wait up!" The girl in question turned slowly to face the voice. There, behind her, was Gray. She sighed and summoned another spirit before replying.

"You can't stop me either, Gray." Before he could say another word the two eel-like fish circled around their master. Gray watched in awe as when they finally stopped circling Lucy was standing on the black eel.

"Lucy! Get down! We can talk this out!"

"There's nothing to talk about, Gray. I just hope it isn't like this every time I have to go on a mission with him."

"You plan to go on more with him?!"

"Of course. Any missions that he allows me to accompany him on is a mission I will gladly accept. "

"What about us?"

"I'll go with you next time. But right now, I have a mission to pack for. I'll see you when I come back, OK?"

"Fine, but I'm holding you to your promise."

"I would expect nothing less. Bye Gray." Then the two eels flew in a direction have could only guess was her house. However, knowing her it would probably be in a different direction completely. The navy-haired male turned back to the guild, without knowing the blond was actually was going in exact direction of her house, before Erza came running out.

"Where is she? Is she here? Did you stop her?" Her brown eyes were wild and her hair a bit out of place. She was also panting as if she had just finished a marathon. Which she probably could do if she wanted to.

"I tried. Then her fish picked her up and they flew away."

"They flee away?"

"Yeah. What happened to the cow by the way?"

"I was fighting his...he was actually pretty fast...then he up and disappeared! Well, first he stopped fighting, said it was a pleasure, then disappeared." Her once frantic voice had now calmed and returned to it's serious and stoic nature.

"Do you know what magic she uses?" Gray asked.

"I'm not sure. I have suspicions but I guess we won't know for sure until we go on a mission with her. Hopefully she comes back soon."

"I suppose that's right." Gray paused, "Why were you acting so emotional earlier?"

"What?" Erza glared at her friend as he stared into space. He clearly didn't sense her anger yet. An anger he was causing.

"Why were you acting so emot–" The male cast a glance in her direction before the sentence died in his throat.

"Oh. I mean... I'm going inside now. I'm thirsty." Then robotically he began the short journey to the guild's bar. Erza then calmed herself as soon as Gray left her presence. That boy seriously needed a filter over his mouth. Yet, he did raise a valid point. Why was she acting so emotional earlier? What had caused this to that?

That was never part of her character before, so when had it developed? Even her thinking, before Lucy, hadn't been like this. It was so...all over the place. It...was as it...Lucy had... unlocked another part of herself Erza herself didn't know even existed. It seemed that there was something else the blond had gained from being around Chaos. Something that neither of them know about just yet. Something so subtle it couldn't even be detected until after the fact. But if the trio did find and figure out this talent or gift or whatever it was then what would they do with it? Would they use it to their own personal gain or for the benefit of other people? What would their future hold if they found out?

Surely it couldn't do too much damage since it wasn't really a bad thing. Yet, even a good thing could be used for bad purposes. Erza knew that much. She had seen it multiple times in the past. Erza sighed. She couldn't do anything about it now. The blond was gone and Erza had no idea where she lived nor when she would be back. And knowing Gray, he would have forgotten the direction she went as soon as he left the scene. Oh well. She would find out later. All that there was left to do now was wait.

* * *

After going home, Lucy packed quickly and returned to Pisces who was patiently outside. Then they quickly flew to the train station where she was to wait for Happy and Natsu. Pisces dropped her off and while the blond waited quietly for them, she pulled out a book that she had managed to grab from home. The story was about these two best friends in high school and how everything was normal until this guy showed up. Then things began to go haywire. Lucy wasn't even halfway through chapter six before she was tapped on the shoulder. Lucy sighed. Obviously it wasn't Happy or Natsu since neither would be so polite. The blond reluctantly and slowly lowered the book.

"What is a pretty lady like yourself doing all alone in a place like this?" The man in front of her looked tall with dirty blond hair and pale green eyes. It seemed as if he was the type that made girls swoon but Lucy was unaffected. If anything the celestial mage was rather grossed out by the sight of him. And by the "sight" she meant his personality. She hated cocky and arrogant men. They all thought that they were entitled to anything they wanted. Particularly females. Greedy pigs.

"Hoping to avoid scum like you," Lucy hissed out.

"Oh come on, sweetheart. Don't be that way."

"I can be anyway I want, asshole."

"Looks like you got a dirty mouth there, babe."

"Only for pigs like you. Now, _please,_ go away." The blond then returned to her book in hopes of shooing the man away. Unfortunately that isn't what happened. Rather, he ripped the book from her fingers and tossed it to her side.

"I don't think so. I intend on bringing you with me, whether you want to or not," the man sneered.

"And I intend on sitting right here," Lucy sneered back.

"Why? You waiting for someone?"

"None of your business."

"How about I make it my business?"

"How about you don't? I really want you to leave. I can force you but it won't be pretty."

"Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?" Finding her whip that hung silently at her hip, she unlatched it and cracked it on the ground by his feet. The guild mark on her hand one again pulsed with dark energy and her aura darkened to match. Seeing this very angry woman, who seemed likely to kill him, frightened the unknown man profoundly. Each time she took a step forward he would take a step back.

"Now look here you pompous, arrogant, stuck up, snobby representation of the male population. I hate you, and men like you to no end. I have better things to do than waste my breath on jerks like you and I can certainly take care of myself. So, either you leave me alone or you suffer an unfortunate accident," the blond hissed. The man could only nod in acknowledgement before spinning on his heel and racing off to who knows where. Lucy sighed before sliding down to her seat. She hated men like him. Men who thought they could win over a women just by their looks or by the first line that fell from their lips. Still glaring in that man's direction her fingers picked up the book brought it back to her face.

The whole scene was watched from the shadows by two pairs of glowing eyes. One was in awe while the other watched in amusement. Neither had been happy when they appeared. They saw the man appear and saw him take her book. Both had began to advance when she stood. It was then that the dragon slayer noticed the chaos permeating the air and stopped their advance. Once they saw that their partner sent the man packing they were almost completely satisfied that she could take care of herself even if they weren't around. She was obviously still angry as Natsu could still smell the chaos coming off of her. Happy took a seat next to her while Natsu bought the tickets. When he came back he picked up the girl, sat in her spot, and placed her back on his lap. All in the name of wanting to take in as much chaos as he could.

"We saw what did two that guy, Lushy. That we so cool! What happened?" Happy chirped we excitement.

"Oh him?" She asked scornfully. "Just some arrogant bastard who thought he had a shot with me. I showed him."

"You sure did!" Happy agreed. The female smiled darkly.

"He won't be coming back anytime soon." The chaos dragon subconsciously snuggled closer to her (not that he'd ever admit that) and curled tighter around her. Something he would deny doing as well if anyone actually saw him. Anything that produced this much chaos had to be cherished and protected. Who knows what could happen to her? Thinking that easily deniable as well. Talk about plausible deniability. Yet, why did he care anyway? He shouldn't. However, he was sure, if he looked hard enough, that he could find some small, microscopic reason as to why he felt the things he did. But, who had that kind of time anyways? The matter still stood regardless. He was positive that if he searched hard enough he could maybe find _something._ It was a really good thing that he didn't care enough.

"When does the train get here?" Lucy asked.

"Soon," Happy replied.

"What's the mission?"

"Don't know. Natsu hasn't told me yet. Natsu?"

"Infiltrate a mansion, steal a book, destroy said book."

"That's it?" He nodded at the blond's question.

"Why this mission, Natsu? Our normal missions are usually a lot harder than this. This seems too easy."

"Blondie. Its her first official mission."

"That's right!" Happy exclaimed. "We weren't hired for the last mission. So, this _would_ be your first mission, Lushy."

"Just said that," Natsu mumbled angrily.

"Oh. Thank you, Natsu." Said dragon slayer once again stiffened at the words before relaxing a second later. It was still an odd sensation to hear those words spoken directly to him. He didn't mind so much if he heard the words in any other situation. Yet, it was always so weird if spoken to him. Granted, only two people have ever said it, those including the blonde and the feline, but it was still weird.

"So, where are we going?"

"Yeah, Natsu. Where _are_ we going?"

"Everlue's mansion."

 **Yay! Completion! I'm sorry this is took so long. BTW, you should thank Author Autumn for being the 175th. I have a challenge for you guys. Can you push the follower count up to 200 before the next update? I have it mostly finished already but I want to see if we can get to 200 before the week ends. I can't wait to see your reviews to the story. Make sure to make lots of them. Until next time.**

 **Thank you to** **Author Autumn, iBook Keeper, EraticMind, UraniusNova, Amber Flame 12, Lizzy7258, Hope10032, bookgirl18, BlzBlue, Brave Raven 25, basicbaritone, The Black Fairy of Fairy Tail, Hikariko93, SCula, Zinnia99, Uchida Akira, BearGirl01, stenmonsta, Elitehope21, Luna 'QyNee' Stella, Jaz-147, Yoru no Nx, AnimeAngel240, Bubblegumdrop69x, XxFairy-chanxX, Outside-Is-Scary, StormAria, Cotton0Candy, valnamoon, Eltyion, hateme101, gothiccross017, and Awesome393 for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales. Welcome.**

 **Thank you to EraticMind, UraniusNova, Lyonsgirl, 12Rayne, Lizzy7258, bookgirl18, BlzBlue, basicbaritone, The Black Fairy of Fairy Tail, Adalricus Victorius, Uchida Akira, Elitehope21, Luna 'QyNee' Stella, Jaz-147, Saira-Blue, Outside-Is-Scary, StormAria, Cotton0Candy, 31, Eltyion, Fanficxxlover, Trollala.X, gothiccross017, Dark-Dragon897, and Awesome393 for becoming the newest favoriteers to Dragon Scales. Welcome.**

 **~ Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

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 **~Peace out!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Good morning my faithful followers. Have you been anxiously waiting my arrival? Waiting anxiously by your email waiting for the next update of this wonderful wonderful story? I'm sure you have. That's because I know I have. I have been waiting all of your follows, and you reviews, and your favorites. Because what's not to love? So far, this has been one of my favorite chapters. So, I know you wanted a little bit of backstory on Lucy. However, that is not how it played out. Lucy's backstory if not the backstory you'll be receiving. Instead I give you something much cooler. Or should I say more chaotic?**

 **I will eventually get to her backstory for now you will have to stay satisfied with Natsu's backstory. I also plan on putting Caleb into the story but for now he will remain anonymous. Which reminds me. I got a review from someone who was asking about mating marks. If I do decide to put them in I would like some inspiration from you guys. What do you think it would look like? You can PM me or write a review but I would love to know your thoughts. I also don't plan on having the characters be unhappy and angry all the time but for now that's where they will stay.**

 **Thank you to those who pointed out some mistakes that I made. I really appreciate it and I hope for any you found any other mistake but you will tell me so I can fix them. If you have any other ideas tell me and I considering them. Any and all ideas are welcome might even be added.**

 **You should also thank for** **Fraline** **being the 200th follower of Dragon Scales. To you I present this award. It is a Dragon trophy with a 200 in it's claws. It breathes fire towards the sky with the flames spelling out Dragon Scales. On the plaque at the bottom with gold lettering is your name. Please accept this reward and read my other stories. They may not be as good as this one is but that shouldn't stop any of you guys. Also, random question. How many reviews do you think we can before the next chapter? I think we should get 50. However, I think that you guys wil reach far beyond the limits of the bar. Can you take it? Ready, set, Go! Now on to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. As expected.**

 **~Chapter 10~**

The fact that he waited until they were on the train to speak should have been suspicious. The fact that they were the only two in the train car was a bit weird. The fact that he explained the missions when there was no way out should have raised some red flags. Yet...somehow...the only red flag that was raised any concern was the fact of how ominous the chaos dragon sounded when he uttered his answer. That was weird, right? She had to be crazy. Wouldn't any other normal person would be alarmed? There had to be a flaw...somewhere... anywhere...just to prove that she was, in fact, crazy. But... She as she analyzed every emotion...every memory...every other thought she could find she found... nothing. Nothing was out of the ordinary. There might be some aspects of life that _could_ qualify but there wasn't anything too serious. She checked. She was sure. She _had_ to be sure.

Her partner's words rang in her ears. Infiltrate a mansion, steal and destroy a book. A simple mission for a rookie blond. Great. Just the ego boost she needed. How great was that? Despite the generosity of the project itself, she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more than what she was receiving. Some hidden danger buried so deep within the mission that no one could see it until it was too late. She couldn't complain for multiple reasons. The first regarding the want to join every mission the pair went on. The second was mostly how she wanted to prove that she wasn't some pompous princess who couldn't handle a hard mission.

So she sat there. She sat on the train seat with Natsu on her lap and Happy around her neck. If this was how it was going to be every time then she would need to something while they were both too occupied to do anything else. After a while, the train stopped and Lucy dragged her friend's body off of it. She walked for about five minutes before her body unceremoniously dropped him on the grass before falling down beside him. It seemed that this train ride was either worse than the last one or her little "display" took longer than she realized. When they left the train Lucy started in the direction of their client's house. The path they walked was a dirt one with hardly any other people walking it. The people who had gotten off at their stop had long since passed them and not without casting odd sideways glances. They didn't actually so Lucy ignored them while both Happy and Natsu failed to notice them at all.

Now, the trio lay on the grass catching their breath. Although, since Happy didn't actually walk, he wasn't actually sleeping. Soon the client's house come into view. The walk there was uneventful as was most of the actual meeting of the client. It was like, "We're here about the mission. Do you have any more information for us? Great, we'll be on our way." Or something along those lines. When the mansion came into view, Lucy could only stare in awe as they approached. A large iron gate loomed out from the dense brush that stood connecting the two huge stone walls on either side. Written on a plaque in gold letters were the words "Everlue's mansion". The mansion beyond the gate was just as elegant. Behind the blond, a certain ill-tempered man nudged a bit harshly ripping her from her dazed state.

"Are you done yet? We've got a mission to complete."

"Y–yeah. Sure."

"Good. Because you need to put this on." Turning towards the dragon slayer, she eyes fell upon a black and white maid outfit.

"Why do I have to wear that?"

"For infiltration, Happy chirped.

"You knew about this?!" Lucy screamed at the feline.

"Nope!" was his cheerful reply.

"Well aren't you quick?"

"I have to be. Otherwise, no one would understand Natsu."

"Uh huh. So what's this maid outfit gonna help us get into the mansion?"

"He's looking for a new maid. Blond. Put it on." The dress was the through the air and the celestial mage almost missed it. She glared at the object before huffing and went to change behind the shrubbery. While Lucy changed Natsu laid on the damp grass and closed his eyes. Contrary to what one might think, he did not bring her on this mission according to her looks. Any shallow man or dense man probably would have. Although Natsu was cruel and evil and everything dark he was nowhere near shallow. Oh, how he hated people. They only thought about small and unimportant details. Natsu was most interested in a person's skill or power level. That is if he actually cared about humans at all. Sure, he had watched the two females fight, and he could possibly admit that his partner could have some potential.

"Are you sure going to work?" said blonde appeared from the forest and desperately tried to pull her skirt a bit lower to try to cover more of her butt.

"No. If it doesn't that I have a plan B."

"Then why don't we go with that one?!" She screeched.

"He doesn't feel like it." Happy murmured as he began to drift to sleep. He lay curled in a loose ball off to the side of Natsu's chest. However, Lucy was anything but content with their current plan.

"He doesn't feel like it?" She hissed slowly.

"Mmm hum..." Happy sighed as he let go of reality.

"You don't... feel like it?" Natsu didn't respond. How dare he ignore her? How dare he expect this from her? Feeling irritation bubble within her,she stomped to the dragon slayer and stood above him. He simply ignored the seething girl. Without having anything to really use against him, the celestial mage decided to use something she almost knew she had. Of course, she was never sure it actually worked or not. Sex appeal never worked in her favor when she used it. So, this time, she started with sitting on him. It also wasn't as soft as it was the last time. True, it wasn't as if she jumped on him, but it was hard enough to show that she deeply irked. Natsu just let out a grunt and stared at her with anger slowly growing in his eyes.

Lucy didn't seem to notice and simply fixed her skirt. He continued to glare harshly until he saw that she was arranging her skirt so that she didn't sit on the short edges. So basically, she sat on his stomach with her legs on either side of his chest with nothing but his shirt and her panties separating them. His harsh scowl lessened and became a medium glare. After all, he still wanted her to get off but he also wanted to see where this was going.

"So was this outfit purely for your entertainment or was this actually for the mission?" Although this sentence could be seen or heard as seductive but there was an underlying danger laced within the words. That is until Natsu gave his response. Rather than giving a verbal response Natsu shifted beneath Lucy. This caused her body to settle on a more private area of his. She couldn't help but give a small gasp as she felt a new sensation shoot up her spine. Leaning up towards the blond, the pink haired man settled on his elbows and let out an irritated sigh.

"It's for the mission, Lushy. Go back to sleep." Happy sighed dreamily.

"You think you're so clever, don't you Mr. Dragon? Well, if you're so clever then you won't mind if I see what makes you tick. What would get a rise out of you? What can I do to make you angry?" She stared at him as if trying to pry out his deepest secrets.

"Obviously being in your space doesn't matter and touching doesn't work either. So what if I follow the masses? What if I call you... Chaos rather than Natsu?" Natsu growled in disdain.

"Oh, so you don't like that. It would make sense. After all, everyone else is too scared to use your actual name. You probably beat the habit out of them as soon as it started. They call you Chaos because they feel that chaos is all you can bring. All that you are capable of. That it's the only thing you live for. But, that's all a lie, isn't it? You have things that you love, like Happy, and you have things that you don't mind, like me. There are also things that you mind, aren't there Chaos? Like this name, Chaos. How does it feel... to have the one person who isn't scared of you call you by a name that was created out of fear? How does it feel to be called such a name with the only reason behind it was out of spite? Tell me, Chaos. Show me how angry you get when I use the name: Chaos." The dragon slayer's growling had grown in volume all throughout her speech and was now mildly quiet. Then that final word was the last push she gave before he snapped. What was worse was how true her words actually were.

The angry dragon now threw his weight forward and Lucy leaned back in surprise. The resulting action was her falling to her back with Natsu straddling her hips. With his palms by her head, he hovered above her caged form, baring his fangs and glaring at her. She simply smirked at his attempt of intimidation. The dark growl that rose from the back of the dragon slayer's throat grew darker. How had she done that? How had she known the words? Found the right tone? Conveyed that right attitude to even _get_ a rise out of him? Why was that a possibility in the first place? What was happening to him? Was it because of this female? It was never this way when it was just him and Happy. What had she done to him? He growled louder at the thought practically drowning out his own thoughts.

The blond smiled as she felt the anger slowly leave her system. However, the black coloring in her hand didn't begin to fade. Rather than anger, seduction was soon flooding her veins. She tangled her fingers in his scarf and stared into the anger filled eyes of the vicious dragon slayer. His fangs gleamed in the sunlight and his growl soon was louder than the blond's voice. Said blond couldn't believe that she was actually successful. She had drawn a reaction out of the powerful, practically unstoppable Chaos dragon and not been pummeled. Such a feat would, of course, raise some questions. The first being how it was possible in the first place. From a very early age, she had been taught how to read people. Even people as stoic and cold-hearted as the dragon above her. Regardless of how strong their wall was, they were still readable. She was shown what buttons to push, what actions to use, and times to execute her findings. It could easily be an extremely long process, but other times it wasn't.

It was drilled so far into her brain that it was almost a second nature. It came to her as easily as writing a sentence. Sometimes she did it without even realizing it. This was exactly what happened to the man she classes as one of her best friends. She had begun reading and analyzing him from the very beginning and when she had become angry she had lashed out in the way how. And simply for something that didn't really matter anyways.

"You know, you're really cute when you're angry." The words that tumbled from the blond's lips surprised him greatly. No one had ever said that to him before. Then, with her fingers tangled in his scarf, she pulled him down into a heated kiss for the second time. Though, this time was much different than the last one. This kiss wasn't meant to show off to others or out of anger, for her at least. Her first intention was just to get him mad, but once he was so close she couldn't stop herself. She kissed him hard, pulling on his scarf to draw him closer. As angry as he was, and with him continuously absorbing the chaos tinted air, his better judgment was slipping from his grasp.

Never once in his life, since his training, had he lost control completely. Losing his temper was one thing but actually letting his better judgment slip because of a female's actions? It's never happened to him before. Yet...somehow...She did it. How was she able to do that? As his angry thoughts became more apparent in his mind, his body practically moved on its own. Her lips moved slowly against his as if she didn't care that they were on the forest floor. His fangs purposely knicked her bottom lip drawing blood. She gasped and withdrew her tongue only to be invaded by Natsu. He quickly took control of the kiss for the first time and increased the tempo. The blond gladly followed as the dragon slayer's sharp fangs clicked on her teeth and warm tongue explored on its own. Her hands slid into his hair and pulled almost harshly, driving him to apply more pressure to her mouth. It was when the blond moaned into his that he regained his self-control. Yet, Lucy was not about to give him the last action.

As he was trying to remove himself from her proximity she ran her tongue along the pointed edge of one of his canines. This created an in an opening in which blood was able to seep through. Her wet muscle then proceeded to smear her presumably scarlet blood on everything it could reach and touch. She started with going back as far as she could reach and pulled back with the roof of his mouth being the first victim. Next was the inside of his cheeks followed by his teeth. Before moving on she renewed the wound, making sure that the blood maintained its flow. By the way, this entire thing was completely unessential and unnecessary. The reason behind it close to nonexistent. It was purely because she could, and maybe some other reasons, and if it was anyone else, and maybe to everyone other than them it could be classed as disgusting. Maybe.

Then, as her final act, she wrapped her tongue around his as to force the taste to linger longer than it should. Just as she finished he managed to pull his body away from hers. Maybe she let him go, maybe he pulled himself away from her, but either way she had proven to get the last word. He sat on her hips just staring down at her unable to process the actions made by either of them. What was going on? Apparently, he didn't move far enough away as she stealthy leaned up and kissed him again. But seconds later she released him almost as soon as she captured him. This time, he stood before anything else could happen. This woman was dangerous. A much different and way more unstable and unpredictable kind of dangerous.

Maybe he might need to rethink the amount of distance he put between them. To him, it seemed as if the closer she was to him, the more her seductive side grew. When he was but not around then her violent side grew. He wasn't one for PDA nor any other type of human interaction. He never desired any human contact nor even thought he would in the future. He watched as she stood and dusted herself off before walking towards the gate. He himself simply moved backwards until the trees blocked him from sight. Ah, the forest. The one place where he felt completely at ease. Not that he was uncomfortable anywhere else. But, the forest was where his earliest memories begin. When he was younger he would ask his father about the day he was found just before he drifted to sleep. Most of the time he got the same story.

~~XXXX~~

The day was abnormally cloudy. Or at least for this area it was. Normally, it was too bright and too sunny. A huge black dragon had spent most of his days sleeping. It wasn't until late afternoon or maybe early evening that he woke due to his growling stomach. He stood and stretched before unfurling his wings and lifting off. Contrary to what most might think, he did not feed off of human souls. Instead, his diet consisted of large animals and the occasional chaos if he could find it. Chaos was not only a physical thing. It also had emotional and mental properties. However, it also another property. Something no one knew about. It had an aerial form. The aerial form itself was much more dangerous than any other form. Therefore, being the most dangerous, it was also the most powerful. The dragon's huge shadow drifted over the land.

It had been a while since he had flown around his territory, since sleeping off his last meal. Soon he came upon a human village, leaving him to wonder how low he had been asleep. Finally finding the chaos he craved he set fire around the village. For hours he tortured the poor, pathetic humans. He set fires, drove in wild animals from the woods, killed humans one by one just to feed his growing hunger for chaos. There was no such thing as too much chaos. The negative emotions, the fear and anger, the helplessness they felt, all turned to the aerial form of chaos. The huge dragon drank in the chaos up until he heard the laughter of a child.

Breaking free from his trance he searched for the sound. Soon his gaze fell upon a small toddler with pink hair just sitting and watching as the flames burned his village. The flames around the child seemed smaller, weaker, gentler. The dragon raised the flames only for the child to laugh causing the flames to die down again. Interesting. The dragon's flames were a different kind than normal fire. It feeds on fear and the more fear the human produced, the hotter and faster the flames burned. The opposite could be said if happiness was produced. But who could be happy when a dragon was attacking your home? The chaos dragon drew closer causing the eyes of the child to lock onto his. The small boy looked at him in awe and raised his hands wanting to be held. Reluctantly, the dragon bent down to have a closer look. Seeing as how the child was still not afraid, he took the child and flew away from the carnage that was once his old home.

~~XXXX~~

Hearing the opening of the gates drew the slayer out of his flashback. His vision narrowed in on a large, roundish man who appeared to talk down to her, judging her by expression. She came stomping back and ripped the maid outfit off her body. Obviously, she didn't care that he stood closer than where he was earlier. She was more concerned with the foul words spoken to her. How dare he say those words about her. With the words 'ugly, untalented' and 'stupid' floating around her brain, she changed and found herself glaring the pink haired male. Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him down to her face and hissed out harshly,

"You better tell me your plan B or you'll find yourself dealing with something much more unpleasant than Lisanna." Although the threat wasn't that bad, the malice he heard behind the threat told him she could guarantee it. He simply nodded. He didn't actually have a reaction to the blond, other than the raise of an eyebrow before removing her hand from his shirt, scooping up Happy and walking towards the mansion. It didn't take long and soon after scaling the wall, found an open window to crawl through. The room was filled with trophies and souvenirs of all kinds but none of them had an interest. They slithered silently along the empty hallway, hoping to not run into any of the horrifyingly ugly maids that Lucy had encountered earlier. She couldn't believe those grotesque beings were what he considered beautiful. She knew she was prettier than How could she not be. Hopefully, they would complete the mission without any further problems. Sadly, fate was not on their side as suddenly a beam of light was shot towards then. They narrowly dodged and turned to find two men grinning triumphantly at them. One had a large frying pan and before Lucy could see the other one clearly, she was pushed.

"Get out of here, Blondie. Find the book."

"Why can't I stay and fight?" She argued. Behind the pair was explaining who they were.

"I got a bad feeling. We need to get out of here. Get the book, Blondie." He growled. He turned to face the men.

"Chaos Dragon's Spearhead." A large black seal formed in front of the chaos dragon. After a moment the black seal with intricate blue symbols shot thousands of black arrowheads at his opponent. He glanced back at his partners to find that they hadn't moved.

"Blondie! Take Happy and find the library! Find the book, destroy it, get out." Finally, the blond nodded and took off with Happy on her tail. Meanwhile, Natsu narrowly avoided an attack that looked similar to one of his own. The man laughed saying something about absorbing his attacks and amplifying it a ridiculous amount of times. Angry that this stranger would _dare_ try to copy _his_ own personal magic was something that he would stand for.

A bluish black bubble formed behind the chaos dragon slayer. Soon the bubble began to stretch into multiple long dragon clawed tendrils. The water like claws sprang up towards the sky before diving into the ground in front of him. The wood cracked and splintered as it was pushed apart by the claws. They disappeared from sight as Natsu cast another spell.

"Chaos Dragon's Poison Fang." The words fell from his lips as he threw his palm to the floor. He kept it there and as he did, shadows from around the room seemed to float over to him. They swirled around his hand, thinning into long skinny shapes. The shapes seemed to jump off the floor and latch onto his wrist before rejoining the masses. The shadows seemed alive as they swam within the circle, attaching to his wrist like they were sucking his blood. Once they finished they swam faster, buzzing excitedly as they waited for their orders. The enemy couldn't hear the quiet phrase of "Sick 'em" that the dragon slayer muttered under his breath that sent the shadows after the men. They scattered in every direction as to avoid the magic blasts aimed at them.

"You think you can use my magic against me? You poor pathetic fools. No one can replicate my magic." One of the men scoffed.

"Oh yeah? And who are you to think that you are too important for such tactics?"

"I am Natsu Dragnia, the chaos dragon slayer. And you have dared to try to use my magic against me."

"N–natsu...D–d–dragnia?" one stammered.

"C–chaos d–dragon," mumbled the other. At that moment, the man with the frying pan screamed as he saw the shadows slither towards him. Each shadow was long and thin with a single white dot on either side.

"S–s–snakes?!" The shadow snakes were silent as they appeared from every direction and surrounded the men. Their pointed tongues flickering in and out of their mouth was one of the last things they saw before they could jump. The snakes wrapped around them constricting their movements as their eyes fell onto Chaos. He hadn't moved, yet his heated gaze continued to watch them. Analyzing every move, every sound, every thought they made. Suddenly, the ground below them shook. Both frozen in fear and restrained, the two men didn't move. They waited anxiously for the attacks they knew were coming. Then, the wood floor in front of them exploded. Out of the broken floor boards rose the bluish black tendrils that had disappeared earlier. The men could only stare as the long black clawed tendrils began to reach towards them.

* * *

"Where is it!" Lucy exclaimed reaching for yet another book. She and Happy had easily found the library and immediately started searching. The library itself was huge, it being the size of her apartment. Several bookshelves stood high above the two in the large room. Lucy assigned the top shelves to Happy while she checked the bottom shelves. Even with the two of them, it was still a tedious job a took way more time than they were willing to spend.

"It's for to be here somewhere, Lushy," Happy said soothingly.

"I know that, Happy. But Natsu said to get out of here. I don't want to be caught, and I don't want to see what happens if we do get caught."

"Don't worry, Lushy. We'll find it before we get caught."

"I hope so. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble."

* * *

To say that Natsu went overboard was an overstatement. To say that the dragon slayer's method was overboard was an understatement. In the course of a minute, the chaos dragon had beaten them to an inch of their small, little lives. Normally, he would have just killed them but the psychological damage he had inflicted left them practically dead anyway. He was about to follow the scent trail his companions had left when a gorilla of a maid his path. The pink haired man sighed as he prepared for another battle. This seemed like a lot of work for a book. Oh well. At least it wasn't an extremely long and boring mission.

* * *

"That is it! I hate this mansion! I hate this library! I hate these books! We're never going to find the stupid book we're one looking for!"

"Lushy, calm down. You'll alert the owner if you don't lower your voice."

"I don't care! I'm done here!"

"Why don't you call one of your spirits?"

"Because I–" Lucy stopped herself short.

"Because why?"

"Uugghh! Why didn't I think of that!?"

"Think of what?"

"You're the best, Happy. Open! Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!" Lucy yelled. Then, a large white humanoid goat with a black suit and sunglasses appeared at her side. He bowed in respect.

"How may I serve you today, Miss Lucy?" He asked.

"Can you help us find a book? A specific book?"

"Name?"

"Last name is Melon," Lucy answered. Capricorn nodded and sped off and seconds later a loud rumbling sound caught the attention of the room's occupants. The ground shook violently, books falling off the shelves, the shelves themselves rocking back and forth. It seemed like it wasn't going to stop when suddenly the floor exploded. A large creature then slowly and dramatically rose from the gaping hole in the ground. Happy gasped and stared while Lucy looked on in disgust. It seemed to have a human form as it stood tall, well above the height of Lucy, with what looked like a maid outfit stretched around her figure. The maid outfit clearly indicating it was indeed a woman. A very ugly women, if you wanted to call her that. Not only was she huge in height but in size as well. What looked like flab, but what could easily be muscle, bulged out of every available opening. Lucy cringed, much like the first time she saw her. At the front gate of this horrible mansion.

"Intruders. You are not welcome here. Leave."

"Happy, Capricorn, keep searching. I'll deal with her." Lucy pulled out her whip and lashed it out at her legs. The maid retaliated by sending her own fist towards Lucy. She narrowly avoided the flying fist and the force alone sent her flying. Her body crashed to the ground and she groaned as she pushed herself back to her feet.

"This may be harder than I thought," Lucy muttered under her breath. She pulled out a key from her belt and ran towards the maid. Her whip latched onto her arm and before she could do anything, the maid swung her arm and used the momentum to send Lucy into a bookshelf. The force wasn't enough to tip the bookshelf but as she fell to the floor, other books fell with her. They clattered loudly and the celestial mage checked the titles. She squealed loudly as she finally found the book they'd been looking for.

"Yes! I found it! I found it, I found it, I found it!" She exclaimed.

"Do you still my assistance, Miss Lucy?" Capricorn asked. Lucy was about to answer when another voice spoke.

"That won't be necessary. We're leaving." She turned to find Natsu in the doorway.

"You said you found the book?"

"Yup," she replied holding up the book. It was a simple brown and yellow book with gold trim along the edges.

"Then let's go."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. That is my book." Out of nowhere a new, and ugly, face accompanied the new, and disgusting voice.

"Everlue," Lucy growled. Everlue was a short man with a wide grin and large black mustache. He shot his wide grin at the girl.

"Ah, the little girl who was too ugly to be one of my maids. You decided that since I wouldn't _let_ you in that you would simply _break_ in, didn't you? You're not that clever, are you?"

"I'm not ugly, you disgusting, vile, little man!" She lashed her whip at him only to be blocked by the gorilla maid.

"AAAHHHGGG!" Lucy screamed. The ugly maid yanked the whip from her grip and picked up the blond female with her other hand. She threw the whip behind her and reached for the book in Lucy's possession.

"Happy! Catch!" Happy wasn't any more time before the book was tossed to him. Angry that she hadn't gotten the book, the maid threw her captive towards the doorway. Natsu only watched as she was tossed and how her body rolled on the cold tile floor. Anger flared in his chest and he threw his body at the gorilla maid. He felt his attack as Lucy stood from the floor. She glanced at the library before looking at Happy who floated beside her. Grabbing the book from his paws, she took off down the hallway.

"Hey!" Happy yelled. "Where are you going!"

"To read the book!" she called.

"Read the book?" Three voices asked in unison.

"Not if I can have anything say about it," Everlue stated before disappearing into the ground. Worried about his second best friend, Happy raced out of the room following Lucy's tail leaving his first best friend with the enemy. Again. It didn't really matter anyways since he was already going to give orders to Happy. Meanwhile, Lucy was quickly running out of breath. Leaning against the wall, the blond slumped to the floor in hopes of catching it. Pulling out large red glasses with wings on them, she slid them onto her face and began to read. The pages flipped faster than any human eye could see thanks to the glasses on her face. Levy had given them to her and it was a miracle that they hadn't broken. She was still reading when a voice echoed around the room.

"I believe you have something of mine, little lady."

"No, it's not. I'm not giving a back."

"That wasn't the question. Now give me the book."

"No! Show yourself, coward."

"I'm not a coward! Give me the book!" The short, fat figure that was Everlue launched his body at her from out of nowhere. The blond had narrowly avoided the chubby fingers of her enemy and pulled the book from close.

"Why would you want such a horribly written book?" She asked.

"What are you talking about? "Daybreak" is a masterpiece. It was written by the greatest author of all time!" Everlue yelled.

"I've read all his other books. This is by far the worst one."

"If you hate it so much then give it back."

"I don't think so. Open! Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!" Instantly the familiar long white face of her goat spirit appeared at her side. Polished black sunglasses covered his eyes and a formal twin-tailed butler suit his lean but muscular figure.

"I see you're a celestial spirit mage."

"That's right. Get him, Capricorn."

"As you wish, Miss Lucy." With a bow, Capricorn launched himself at Everlue. He landed well-placed hits to his abdomen, chest, legs, etc. That is until the short, fat man disappeared into the ground. Both celestial mage and spirit spun, trying to find their opponent when a rumbling sound came from behind them. Turning was all they had time was do as Everlue launched his own attacks. The first blow was dealt to Lucy's stomach, sending her tumbling away, before sending Capricorn after her.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"What?" Lucy's jaw dropped.

"That's right, sweetheart. You aren't the only celestial mage." The ground trembled once more and soon appeared the gorilla maid. This earned him the expected response of 'Seriously? That's the celestial spirit?!' before a clawed tendril threw said spirit into the opposite wall on the other side of the room.

"Looks like it's just you and me, girly."

"Not for long. Looks can be deceiving...Now let's see if I can use this again," she said mumbling the last sentence to herself. This time rather then recracking her whip she traded it out for the silver cylinder. Then using the motion her normal whip, she on unfurled the different one. The star shaped pendant swayed with the motion of the yellow water-like whip, the blue stars shining brightly.

"Yea, it worked!" Lucy exclaimed. Swinging the whip around, it latched onto her ugly, evil opponent and sent him into the furthest wall. Capricorn followed and when the dust settled an unconscious Everlue was all that remained in the center of the rubble. Looking over to her best friend, she found he was leaning against the wall with the gorilla maid at his feet.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"We can't destroy the book." He raised an eyebrow. "I'll show you when we get back to the client's house. Did I do well?" She asked changing the subject. He nodded slowly. If you could call it a nod.

"You need more training. Some of your attacks were weak."

"But, others were really cool! I finally found you, Lushy! I've been looking everywhere for you!" The blue feline came out of nowhere and slammed into the blond's large chest. "You ran off without me!"

"I'm sorry, happy."

"Did you finish the book?"

"Yeah."

"So, are we not destroying the book?"

"Not until we reveal our newest development."

 **Oh goodness. The fleur-de-lys unleashed already? I was going to put it later but I didn't. I know where it goes I just moved it. If you question this is the answer. It's a new environment therefore things will be moved. I also realized this with the other parts. Don't worry. I have it all planned out. Also, what do you think of Natsu's backstory? Of all the other fanfiction I have read, none we like this. Interesting take don't you think? That is all for now. Till next time.**

 **Thank you to** **NaLuAllTheWay, Asuraider, unexpectedboss, Haruka Night, Riverdrum, nikkiw67, DaedricSlayer1337, HasXnoXlife, Jeschura, Mayukichan0709, IllegalAsian, Bekah274, luckoftheirish2015, tkitty23, r , T-tawny, sarara1.8, xxcutiepatootiexx, Karla Castillo, Kayorin Gale, izzyrawr, The Age of Awesomeness, whitesagaro, Pao8099, FairyTailBookworm and** **Fraline for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales**

 **Thank you to NaLuAllTheWay, nico2883, unexpectedboss, Haruka Night, Eleutheromania, toshiro and sakura 4 ever, Court818, DaedricSlayer1337, HasXnoXlife, RoseWick-LoverSupreme, Mayukichan0709, IllegalAsian, luckoftheirish2015, e1513, MaddestScientist, tkitty23, Delia365, toshiro and sakura 4 ever, T-tawny, sarara1.8, xxcutiepatootiexx, xKaAri-Rita-Kufux, Kayorin Gale, izzyrawr, The Age of Awesomeness, whitesagaro, Pao8099, Silver712, and Fraline for becoming the newest favoriteers to Dragon Scales.**

 **~Brought to you by Jasmine Gato**

 **~Follow, favorite, and review**

 **~Piece out!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Good morning, my faithfull followers. How are you today? So I have some things to discuss. First of all, I hardly got any feedback on Natsu's backstory. What's that about? Also, you guys failed the reveiw challange. But hey, that doesn't matter anymore because I have a new chapter for you. As far as mating marks go, I have found a use for them and I need some ideas on what they sould look like. I have/was given some ideas but I would like some more. Anyways, that's all for now. On to the story.**

 **Disclaimer: No onwership of Fairy Tail here.**

~~Chapter 11~~

"What's that?" Happy asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see. It's really quite interesting." They walked back to the client's house and when he saw the book, he exploded.

"How dare you bring that monstrosity to this house! I told you specifically to destroy that book! How dare you disobey my orders!

"But sir–"

"No! I don't want to hear it!"

 _"You worthless piece of shit!"_

"Sir I–."

"Weren't you listening!"

 _"Doesn't any part of your brain actually work?!"_

"I told you specifically to destroy that book!"

 _"But you can't even follow the simplest of orders, can you?"_

"SHUT UP!" A loud voice screamed. All attention turned to the seething dragon slayer. Darkness seemed to seep out of every pore on his body into the air around him. Lucy tried moving but was frozen in place as that man's voice was still ringing in her ears.

 _"You will never be things but a worthless, filthy, pile of trash. You good-for-nothing waste of space. I can't believe I created you!"_

Out of everyone she could verbally rile up or destroy, she never had a chance against him. She could never find the courage to stand up to her father. How could she? It was against every fiber in her body. Up until her 10th year, she has been taught the proper way to talk, eat, sleep, walk, dress, etc. Everything had to be perfect. The perfect little princess Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, the crown jewel to the Heartfilia Rail Lines. What a pretty price that was. Let me explain. Lucy Heartfilia was born to the happy couple of Jude and Layla approximately 18 years ago. They were a loving family and spent a lot of money raising their daughter to be the princess that they wanted her to be. Servants filled the empty space the Heartfilia's couldn't. With that many servants it was never a quiet moment, especially with the gentergenic princess. That is until the death of her mother, the true jewel of the company.

Since the birth of Lucy, Layla's health was slowly degenerating. However, it didn't become evident until Lucy's fifth year. She didn't have as much energy nor could she could play as long as normal. By the time Lucy turned seven, she could hardly leave the house, let alone walk down the hallway. By Lucy's ninth year, she was bedridden. It was at this point that everyone knew she was dying and didn't have long to live. Because of this Jude grew increasingly distant from his only daughter and spent more and more time in his office, only ever leaving to spend time with his dying wife. The day she died was the worst day anyone in the Mansion had ever experienced. The staff was immediately shortened and the work hours lengthened. He no longer spent time with his daughter and left the practically non-existent staff to raise her. When Lucy tried to get her father's attention, the mansion was no longer the eerie quiet that it had become. Or at least for a few minutes. Then, as the young heiress grew older, she gained more and more unwanted attention by her father than she wanted. Soon, she hated all attention he gave her.

"You can't tell me to–" The angry voice of her compaion easily puller her back from her past.

"I can, I will, I did, and I repeat. Shut up!" The client abruptly closed his mouth and stared at him with fearful eyes.

"Now she has something to tell you." He nudged her.

"R–right. Y–you knew y–our father was one of the greatest writers of all time, right?."

"How did you know he was my father?"

"The book told me."

"You read that monstrosity?!"

"Yeah. The thing is... most people always seem to forget that he was a mage. That's why Everlue couldn't see the book for what it truly was. He disguised this book as the worst book he'd ever written with the title "Daybreak" when in truth it was his greatest masterpiece." The yellow book now took on a silver glow that began to fill the room. The book rose into the air as the pages began to flip open with the black letters flying off the pages. The letters quickly flew around the room, floating around their buddies before returning to the book. Seconds ticked by and the book snapped shut and fell back into Lucy's hands. Now, rather than displaying the words "Daybreak", the title read "Dear Kaby". Slowly handing the book back the client, she could see tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Opening the cover, he read a few words before closing the book and held it to his chest.

"T–thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, let us pay you a little extra as compensation."

"It's all–" Her sentence was cut short as Natsu slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Thank you. We appreciate it," Happy chirped instead.

"Mmmpph! Mphmmmph!" Lucy protested.

"She agrees."

"Great. Thanks again," said their client.

"No problem," Happy responded. Getting up Natsu kept his hand over her mouth and tugged her towards the door. Lucy watched as they handed Happy the money. Once they were outside, he released her. Angry that he restricted her, she whirled on him.

"What were worried I was going to say!?"

"Nothing thought you would try to turn down the reward," Happy up behind them.

"Why would I do that?"

"Most Fairy Tail members would turn down the extra money, or refuse the entire reward altogether."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Part of fairy tale Pride, I guess."

"Interesting. Don't worry, Happy. I won't do that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go home. I'm tired." Lucy nodded before turning to her best friend.

"Hey serpent," he slightly turned his head. "Pull that stunt again and I'll sick Lisanna on you... and help her do it." He didn't give any indication of his acknowledgement but his body responded regardless. And his whole body gave the shiver of disgust while Lucy smiled in victory.

The train ride home was boring as crap and as a result the trio took a much-needed nap. When the conductor came to tell them of their stop, he found the blonde laying next to Chaos with his arm draped over her stomach and his head on her breast. The blue kitten lay curled around his neck. However, when the train car opened so did one of the Dragon Slayer's eyes. He glared at the man as he woke and sat up. He quickly glanced around car before returning his frightening gaze to the frozen conductor.

"You dare speak a word and I'll rip out your tongue and shove it down your throat." His deep voice sent so much venom that the conductor nearly peed his pants. Not being able to say anything at all he nodded as best he could and scurried out of the train car. Natsu nudged Happy awake and Happy woke Lucy. Together the trio left the train station and made their way to the guild. Happy had long since divided the money and Lucy had her portion in her backpack. Yet, the jingle of coins was nothing compared to the roar she got from the guild.

"LUCY!" They screamed before flocking around her once more.

"Guys!" She yelled giggling. "Back up. I kinda need to breathe." When the crowds excitement drowned out her words Happy lifted her and dropped her at the bar.

"Vanilla milkshake, please."

"On it, Lucy." When Mira came back she put her head in her hands with her elbows on the counter.

"So how was the mission?"

"It was good."

"Anything... interesting?" She pushed.

"Like what?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, maybe something similar to the little display you demonstrated earlier."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would indeed."

"Then I guess I could slip you a bone." The barmaid's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Please do." Lucy leaned forward and whispered softly in her ear.

"I pushed some buttons today. Different ones than most people push and what I have pushed so far."

"WHAT!?" Lucy nodded. "No way!" She nodded again.

"How'd you do it?"

"Now that's a secret I'm keeping to myself."

"Aw, come on."

"But that's not all."

"It isn't?"

"Nope. I got him to kiss me. This time, he took control. Not me." Huge pink hearts seemed to form in the barmaid's eyes. Her breathing accelerated and soon her body collapsed on the floor. The blond pulled her body over the counter before returning to her shake.

"What happened to her?" Happy's voice sounded next to her. Lucy just shrugged.

"Who knows."

"I'm sure you do." She smiled and shrugged. Just then a brown haired girl took a seat next to the pair.

"Hey. Lucy, right?"

"Yeah."

"Name's Cana. Nice to meetcha."

"Nice to meet you too."

"That was quite a show you put on last time."

"Thanks."

"You know, between you and me..." Cana'a curly brown hair bounced as she draped an arm over Lucy's shoulder.

"I was rootin' for ya. My cards told me you would be something special." The small of alcohol came heavily off her breath.

"Are you drunk?"

"Nope, not yet. It takes me a lot longer to get drunk."

"So, what's your magic?" Asked Lucy.

"Card magic. What's yours?"

"I'm sure that's obvious," Lucy said smiling.

"In fact it is. But that changes nothing."

"Celestial spirit summoner."

"That's cool." The whistle sounded throughout the guild once more.

"Hey Cana?"

"Yeah?" She asked looking up from her wooden mug.

"Where are Gray and Erza?"

"Erza left on a mission right after you did. Gray..." She took another drink. "He's around here somewhere."

"That's good. Well, I gotta go."

"Why?" Lucy shrugged once more. Happy had already left and now Lucy slid off her stool to follow. Once she entered the darkened space, she sat at the table with Happy. She continued to sip her milkshake until Natsu made his appearance.

"Guess what, Lushy."

"What?"

"Your training starts today," Natsu finished.

"What, really?" She asked excitedly.

"Um hm," Happy mumbled around a fish.

"When do we start?"

"Now." The familiar water-like tendrils shot out from his cloak and and Lucy jumped to avoid them.

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked staring wearily at the tendrils that swayed behind Natsu.

"Get to the forest west of town before I catch you. You can use any magic you have but you can't fly."

"Do I get a head start?"

"No." The tendrils shot towards her once more and she quickly dodged again. She saw the Root Beer bottle sitting on the table next to Happy and she reached for it. When her fingers wrapped around at it, she threw it around her assailant. He blocked the bottle with his arms and Lucy took that moment to dash to the guild doors. She was unprepared, however, to run into a naked back before she got there. Gray turned to face her.

"Whoa, what's the rush?"

"That's not running, Blondie!" A deep voice called.

"That," she replied pointing. "That is my rush."

"What's going on?" Lucy glanced at Natsu who was slowly making his approach.

"We're playing a game, is all. Please move."

"Can I play?"

"No, but if you want you could slow him down for me."

"My pleasure." Gray then moved from her path and went to block Natsu's. Lucy quickly started by calling out Taurus as soon as the guild doors closed behind her. Faintly behind her she could hear Gray call out,

"Hey, Fire Freak! I got something for you! Ice make–"

"Miss Luuucy, youuu are looking fine today."

"Good to know. Right now I'm playing a game and I need you to throw me."

"What?"

"Please. I'm racing Natsu to the West Forest and he said no flying," she pleaded.

"Alright, Miss Luuucy. If you're sure."

"It'll be fine. I know you can't throw that far so I'll call Capricorn next. Taurus nodded and put his hand on the ground before Lucy climbed onto it. He then tossed her body up in the air and swung the flat side of his axe to her feet. Lucy bent her knees and when she felt the axe beneath her feet she pushed herself forward, adding more momentum to her launch. As her body began sailing through the air she heard an explosion behind her. She turned her head and saw several members tumble out of the guild doors. Natsu flew out of the doors with his black dragon wings on his back and irritation in his eyes.

"Open! Gate of the Paired Fish! Pisces!" The two eels appeared and Lucy sent them towards Natsu with no hesitation. When she felt herself descending she called out Capricorn. He caught her easily and after a brief explanation he was happy to help. He tossed her easily and by this point she could faintly see the outline of the forest. She was so close. Unfortunately, Natsu was closer. She was still in mid-air when she heard the beating of his wings behind her. She called back Capricorn but it was too late. Natsu was faster than she was. Using his spearhead, attack her loyal goat spirit was forced back to the spirit world. Her body began falling and she looked around desperately, trying to find a way to slow her dissent. However, the only thing close enough was the vicious dragon slayer who started the chase. So just as he turned his attention towards her, her whip wound its way around his waist. He looked down and confusion before attempting to remove the whip. By this point, Lucy was close enough to the ground that she wouldn't get any serious injuries. Knowing that the chaos dragon would eventually catch her sooner than later, she ran in the direction of the forest once more. She was fully aware that she would be caught well before she got to the forest but that didn't stop her from trying. She dodged the tendrils as best she could until one hit came to close to her left side. The force blew her to the right and she wasn't able to catch herself in time.

"Gotcha," a voice whispered. Then a body weight heavier than her own pinned her to the ground. She rolled underneath them and looked up at her captor. Onyx eyes stared back down at her.

"How do I do?"

"You failed."

"Figures. What now?"

"Now, you get an extra hour in training."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing." He shrugged.

"You still have to run to the forest."

"Darn it! I thought I wouldn't have to for sec." Natsu didn't say anything but instead of simply stood and began walking. After Lucy dusted off her clothing, she took off running again. By the time she got there her legs ached and she was out of breath. Natsu flew up seconds later and kept walking, leaving Lucy no choice but to force yourself off the grassy earth and follow the silent dragon slayer. They walked for what seemed like hours with the only sound being the blond's almost heavy panting. They went forward, they backtracked, went in zigzags, the works, as if making sure no one was following them. Once he was satisfied, he finally set a direct course. Lucy was struggling to keep up at this point but she kept her mouth sewn shut, much like the trek up Mt. Hakobe. Natsu sighed.

"Lesson number 1. Voice your thoughts."

"W...what?"

"If you are going to come on more missions with me, then you can't keep silent. You almost died on that mountain and you look like you're going to pass out any time now. It's not good for your body."

"T–...then can we...take a break?"

"No. We're nearly there." Indeed he was correct. For two minutes later, they came to a clearing. However, calling it a clearing would calling an ocean a lake. It was divided into several sections and the most obvious was the obstacle course at the far end of the arena. It took up a good portion before it melted into an area of dummy looking things. Around the dummies the ground was littered with holes of dummies that had been moved or added. Next to that was just a huge patch of dirt. The ground was smooth and not yet covered with the footprints of the trainee nor the dragon slayer. Then off to the side was a section of miscellaneous objects. What made the whole thing more amazing was the fact that the clearing was sitting five feet below where she currently stood. The entire arena in a five foot deep hole.

"D–did you make this?" She asked amazed. He nodded. She continued to stand at the edge gaping when a sudden force knocked her forward. As she fell she managed to force her body into a roll despite the exhaustion that plagued her. Natsu jumped in after her. He landed neatly and walked to the dirt patch before sitting cross-legged. When Lucy joined him, he showed her how to meditate and after doing it for ten minutes he lead her to the obstacle course. She had asked what the meditation was for and the only response she got was that it helped her to focus. Although the meditation had driven most of the fatigue, it hadn't fully disappeared. And that is how her day continued. She was forced to run the obstacle course for hours while dodging various attacks from Natsu. Afterwards, she was brought to the dummy field where she was given fighting moves to practice. The familiar weight of her keys no longer on her hip, therefore adding to her distractions. Her eyes glanced at the keys that now hung at Natsu's hip.

The dragon slayer had taken her keys at the beginning of obstacle course and had yet to give them back. Just then she felt her body begin to fall. She failed to realize where the initial pressure was applied but she certainty felt the after effects. Lucy also wasn't conscious of how much force her body was given which was why she was surprised when the breath left her lungs as she fell. She glanced up at sky to see the pink-haired male blocking her view of the sky and glaring down at her. She only scowled as she heaved herself off the ground. Her arms felt like jelly, her breath came in short pants, and she felt as if she could collapse at any moment.

The two had been training for hours and and he hadn't even broken a sweat. Lucy, on the other hand, was drenched from head to toe with the bodily fluids. However, it may have been the fact that he hadn't even done any real training. The sun was beginning to set behind the trees and the breeze took a colder turn. She was starting to shiver but her mouth was clamped shut. That is, until a thought hastily crossed her mind. Lesson one: voice your thoughts. It's better for you. She shook her head to clear the thought. Sure he had told her that rule but she had just been given this rule today. She couldn't start practicing that rule already, could she? Would he think less of her if she used it so soon? It was a possibility but Lucy was willing to take that risk. Even if it killed her. Mentally. She cast her gaze around the arena until her eyes fell on Happy. The blue haired feline was sleeping on a cat bed in what looked like a shed. It didn't appear to have a door from where she stood.

When had Happy gotten there? Had he always been there? The fact was...he wasn't. When Natsu had chased after Lucy, Happy had stayed at the excited/scared chatter that had arisen. When Lucy suggested to Gray to take on Natsu, he jumped right into it. After the insult, Gray attacked first. He let his anger and confusion fuel his attacks and as a result, he lasted ten more seconds than he did last time. However, his spells were uncoordinated therefore making them sloppy and giving Natsu the advantage. It was after the dragon slayer had left that things had gotten messy.

People crowded around the poor, beaten ice mage demanding answers that he cold possibly give. Unfortunately, it wasn't before long that he had given the four sentences worth of information that set the guild's eyes on Happy. They peered at him with hungry eyes, as if they hadn't eaten in days. It may not seem normal but Fairy Tail was a very noisy guild. Everyone's life with a public to the members as the guild chairs were open to strangers. That is, if the memories weren't to painful to tell. It was only the painful memories that were left alone. That and basically Natsu's entire life. Everything else was fair game. Which was why when new info was available they turned into a pack of hungry wolves. Their smiles widened, their heads cocked, their eyes staring into your soul as if they could pull the information out that way. Sometimes you could almost see the wolf-like features, if you looked hard enough. The soft pointed ears hidden deep within their strands of hair, the razor sharp fangs lurking in their darkened mouths, and the bushy tails underneath the fabric of their clothing. They may look human but most times that was the opposite of their behavior. Depending on who you were, it could be considered downright çreepy. Yet, despite what others thought they continued their odd personalities and habits. After all, they were the Fairy Tail guild.

Happy did everything he could so that he didn't squirm under their wolf like grins before trying to escape. However, someone grabbed his tail as he became airborne and his chances of escape dwindled into nothing. He turned to find the face of Mira staring down at him. He gulped heavily. Mira's grin seemed to be the largest one of all.

"So Happy," she started. "What do you know of Lucy and Chaos's game of cat and mouse?" So after being interrogated and dodging questions he knew Natsu wouldn't want him to tell, he exhaustedly made his way to the forest. Of course, he knew where the arena and it was for times like these, that if he wanted to collapse near to where Natsu was then, the shed thing was where he went. Natsu had built it, as he did everything else he needed, for him so Happy may have a place to sleep if Natsu was training. Otherwise, Happy would have flown to the house. So there he slept as Lucy was desperately trying to work up the courage to tell Natsu that she was done for the day. The sun continued to fall behind the trees and Lucy turned to the dragon slayer and called for his attention. He looked and stared at her, waiting for her to speak. She opened her mouth to speak but the words seemed to die in her throat.

 **So what do you think? I prefer Natsu's backstory but I still like Lucy's. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the training session. Also, I have decided to let you, my faithful DS fanbase, choose the layout of the obsticle course. I look forword to your suggestions.**

 **Thank you to bloodrayne766, Chaosscore, jemdeleon1013, MusicLovingEmo, fuji99, Linden3, percy dragneel. oxXSilverTomboyXxo, WillowErised, narutoyaoifan, MrPlatypus12345, Naluforevr239x, Getstoofed, DarkFairyGirl, katherine mouzakis, bloomingsakuraa, satanhell, AnimeGurl436, kikikiwistarfire, Lucyloverfoever, MoonlightBushido, HummingBird742, NaluGrey, Fanficxxlover, FireKissesLove, HalfBloodDragonSlayer, eddie-jazz-carlies lover and Ace Clover for joining the fanbase that is Dragon Scales**

 **Thank you to FairyTailBookworm, Riverdrum, Chaosscore, jemdeleon1013, MusicLovingEmo, A winter storm, fuji99, Linden3, percy dragneel, oxXSilverTomboyXxo, XxCelestialAssassinxX, WillowErised, narutoyaoifan, MrPlatypus12345, Wxnderland, Naluforevr239x, Hanakouou, DarkFairyGirl, karibel. , katherine mouzakis, AnimeGurl436, kikikiwistarfire, MoonlightBushido, HummingBird742, FireKissesLove, eddie-jazz-carlies lover, SheNellie and Ace Clover for becoming Dragon Scale's newest favoriteers**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, favorite, and Reveiw**

 **~Peace out!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Good morning my faithful followers. I do hope that you have had a good day. Well, it should be better now that I am finally able to post the next chapter of Dragon Scales. It has been a while, hasn't it? My problems mostly delt with the pain that is Senior Project. There was so much work and that was before I was banned from working on every other story that I may have. I have some more chapters written but I can't publish them just yet. Now that it's over with I can finally move on. Dragon Scales has 265 followers and now that the chapter is done, you all can see what happens next.**

 **I should have you know that the beginning of this chapter has made me a bit unsure. My cousin liked it but I'm not sure if I should keep it as part of the story. You guys have to tell me if you don't like it. If you don't like it then I will take it out. I have also decided that the idea that Riverdrum suggested will be added to the obstacle course. As for if Lucy has the other spirits, that is classified information to be revealed on a later date. I can't wait for the story to continue either and everything that comes with it. T** **hat about sums up the reviews so I guess that is it. On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: nothing but variation of the plot people.**

 **~Chapter 12~**

Her mouth closed as the words died once more. She couldn't decide what she should do. One one hand, she wanted to keep going, just to prove that she wasn't weak. She wanted to keep going until he said stop just to see how far he could go. But one the other, she could barely stand up without swaying and it was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open. The one thing she had to consider that it was still her first day and no one was instantly better in one day. When she finally picked what she wanted to do she, took a deep breath and started once again.

"N–...Natsu?" she managed to pant out. "C–...can w–we... be d–...done now?" he nodded his consent. Sighing in relief, the blond let herself crash to the ground. She lay there for a couple of minutes, attempting to catch her breath. However, as she lay there, her eyelids began to close. Just as she was about to succumb to the blissfulness of sleep, her body was jerked awake. She forced her eyes open to find onyx eyes staring back at her. She didn't need to glance around to know that her body was standing upright. However, it wasn't by most of her own strength that this was accomplished. Natsu had a hand on her collar and was the one holding her up. Unable to keep her eyes open or her body upright, she slumped onto the body form in front of her. He let go of her collar and caught her figure before she could fall and hurt herself.

"Oi," his deep voice growled. "Don't sleep yet."

"Can't...stop...it..." she mumbled in response. Natsu sighed.

"Chaos Dragon's Wings," he chanted. Appearing on his back were pitch black wings with intricate purple swirls. Natsu moved them as if to stretch them from their previous use.

"Happy! We're going!" Sleepily the feline flew to Natsu's hair and continued his sleeping. Natsu sighed as he tried to think of a plan and finally decided on readjusting Lucy. Now, Happy slept curled inside his hair while Lucy slept curled against him. He held her bridal style and now her small fists were clenched with in his scarf once more, and he didn't really care. At the beginning, and toward other people, he would burn their hands until there was nothing left. But with her, he didn't feel that way. She did it so often in the last few days that it now felt familiar. It wasn't natural, nowhere near it in fact, but it did have a good feeling that was attached to it. However, by this point Natsu was hovering outside her window with no intention of going through the front door. Luckily for him, she left the window unlocked. He crept inside, careful to not wake either of his companions.

He approached her bed and moved to set her on it. Except for one small problem. He couldn't get her to let go of him. He had shifted her only a little bit, but she managed to wrap her other arm around his neck, so when he let go, she did not. Her sleeping self seemed to have a mind of its own that was much stronger than her waking self. So in order to free himself, he needed to push even harder, even if it meant hurting her. Then, unsuccessfully, he tried to pull the blond's body away from his own. Nothing was working. He continued to struggle, no longer caring about what happened to her when he oh so gracefully fell onto the bed. Natsu sighed in frustration. What now? Plus, she was still wearing her outfit from the training arena.

Dusk coated her clothing and caked her face, arms, and legs. Earlier her outfit with a blue tank top, black leather jacket, and the black skirt. Shallow cuts dotted her skin from where she was constantly falling down in different areas in the arena. One last plot formed in his head that would surely make her let go. But before that, he needed to get her out of her dirty clothing. If he didn't appreciate dirt or mud in his own bed, she wouldn't either. Though it would be kind of difficult to remove some of her clothing in her current state. He was very careful in focusing on her face as he removed the clothing the could easily access. She was already doing dangerous things to his mind and he wasn't about to add more fuel to the fire. The difficult part dealt with the fact that her arms were still around his neck. Good thing that Happy was sleeping on her jacket on one of Lucy's comfy chairs. Natsu, however, was stuck struggling with Lucy.

Still not having any success, he resorted to his final plan. Lighting his body on fire. The flames crawled slowly over her skin careful not to burn her bed. However, Natsu no experienced a huge problem. It wasn't working. He rose the temperature to burn her skin but the flames only seemed to eat at her clothes. Once the outer layer was nothing but ash, Natsu lowered the temperature but the flames didn't die out. What was worse was not only did his flames not hurt her but she CUDDLED CLOSER! Great. He'd forgotten that his flames did affect her. What was he supposed to do now? Irritated beyond belief, he blurted,

"Goddammit, woman! Let go!" Almost instantly her body retracted from his and curled into herself. Natsu stared at her with a puzzled expression on his face. What was that? Was this her following without complaint? Curiousness clawed at the edge of his mind, refusing to be fought off no matter how hard he tried. Maybe he could satisfy it just this once.

"Stand up." she stood from the bed. Her eyes remained closed and her head was leaning off to the side, not quite straight up but not dangling either.

"Bring me Happy." Walking to the chair where Happy slept, she picked him up carefully and handed him gently to Natsu. Happy immediately woke and stared sleepily at his best friend, who kept staring at Lucy from where he sat.

"N... Natsu? W... what's going... on?" he yawned.

"Blondie becomes a mindless soldier when she sleeps."

"What?" Happy instant jolted awake and stared at Lucy as well. His gaze then drifted to Natsu before settling back on Lucy. Happy stared for a bit and once more turned his gaze to his pink haired friend and saw him gesture to the sleeping blond. Then an evil grin spread across the feline's smug little face.

"Lushy...pet Natsu." The chaos dragon rolled his eyes as he waited for the celestial mage to crawl on the bed and kneel behind him. Her thin fingers slid into his hair and massaged his scalp. His eyes closed without him realizing it and a deep rumbling noise rose from the back of his throat. Happy snickered to himself before giving the next order.

"Tackle him." Natsu's eyes widened and before he could correct her orders, she managed to push him to the ground. The dragon slayer growled and demanded that he be released and when she did, gave new orders and told Happy to help. When she had left the room, Natsu made himself comfortable on her bed. It was almost more comfortable than his own. After a while, the pair returned from the bathroom but the Chaos dragon had long since fell asleep and didn't even stir as she crawled back into her bed. The night was long and had produced more questions than there were answers for. However, the things that were discovered were for a much brighter day and a clearer mind. The morning would sure be something since a certain "angry" dragon slayer wouldn't let the agitated celestial mage wake him by any circumstances besides his own will. For now, thought plagued his mind before eventually his mind slid into the dark, blissfulness of sleep.

XXX

The next few days were similar to the first and it was starting to become a regular thing. No one paid attention as the blond ran around the guild squealing and laughing like a small child as she vexed the dragon. No one interfered as the dragon chased the princess sometimes for fun, other times for training. No one cared as she grew closer to the dragon while at the same time made friends and formed bonds with everyone she came into contact with. At least, everyone excluding the white-haired animal shifter. Even Gray, who earlier refused the blond's friendship with the dragon, grew to accept them.

Everything was going beautifully until the guild doors burst open announcing the arrival of a requip mage who'd been absent since the first day of training. Her eyes searched the guild, first falling on Gray then drifting up to the second floor and lastly settling on Lucy. The redhead was planning something and Lucy wasn't sure that she was going to like it all that much. Natsu, however, didn't care enough to pay attention but he did smell the uneasiness that was drifting up to him from Happy and the blond. Happy had seen it too. The way she glared up at the second floor before hardening her glare on Lucy.

"Gray! Chaos! I require your assistance!" The silence that followed was deafening.

"What?" Lucy asked breaking the silence.

"I need you two to come or else a lot of people could get hurt."

"What?" she repeated. Erza hadn't moved from the entrance and still didn't answer her question. "Why him? If you need Natsu then there's no way that you need Gray," the blond wondered aloud. This was followed by a, "No offense" and a "Don't worry about it." Just then a shadow rose behind Erza. The shadows proceeded to slowly melt back to the floor, revealing a very agitated Natsu.

"What do you want, Titania? You know how I hate leaving the floor without legitimate reasons," he hissed.

"Y–you came?" Erza definitely did not expect that.

"Why wouldn't he?" Happy jumped in.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"Well, you did make a stupid but interesting point," Happy pointed out.

"Did I?"

"Sure. But if you don't speak soon then Natsu will leave and you would've missed your chance," Happy reminded.

"I suppose you're right." She turned to Gray, who was now standing near Natsu but not at a very close distance and gestured for him and Chaos to follow her to a nearby table. Lucy sat awkwardly on her stool as she had been ignored over and over again. Was Natsu really going to leaver her for this seemingly important mission? What would she do in the meantime? Would she stay at the guild or train some more? Would she–

"Lushy? Aren't you coming?" Happy's voice said floating around Erza.

"Really?" Lucy asked, eyes sparkling. Erza paused in her explaining to find out if she was in fact coming or not. Happy floated over to her and stopped on the bar counter beside her.

"Of course! We're a team. We are partners and partners always go on missions together."

"Yeah, we are!" Lucy exclaimed.

"So, you're coming?"

"Yeah. Always. You just said so, didn't you?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion.

"Yup. So, come on!" He grabbed the blond's hand and pulled her next to Natsu. Erza merely nodded and continued.

"I was on my way home from a mission when I stopped at a local tavern. While I was there I overheard something about breaking Lullaby's seal. From their guild mark, I knew I wasn't able to take them down by myself. That and I'm not really sure what Lullaby is."

"Lullaby?" Lucy whispered. It sounded familiar but she couldn't really figure out where it came from.

"When do we leave?" asked Gray.

"As soon as possible. Everyone on board?" They nodded. "Good. Go home, pack, and meet me at the train station in two hours." Natsu paled, not that anyone besides Lucy noticed.

"Can we... um... not take... the train?" Lucy asked.

"Why?" Everyone turned to look at her. Even Natsu. What was she up to?

"Um... I don't like trains?"

"You don't seem that certain of it," Erza countered.

"Well... it's not something I want broadcasted," Lucy said slowly as her eyes slowly drifted to her dragon slayer partner. Would he hate her for trying to help?

"Get over it," Erza ordered.

"But–"

"Lucy," Erza said with a glare, making the blond shrink in her seat. She cast a sad glance at Natsu and sank further into her chair. All she wanted was to keep them from finding out about Natsu's motion sickness. They all thought he was practically invincible. If they found out he this sort of pathetic weakness then they would surely mock him for it. This would result in a lot of injured guild members. In recent days she had grown close to them and tried her hardest to keep the two parties separate. it wasn't really that hard since they usually kept away from him anyways but no interaction was virtually impossible. The link was through her and since he played with her, the guild saw a lot more of hi,. Although, she decided to keep as many weaknesses of his her herself. His motion sickness was by far the biggest one, and one she wasn't planning on the worry began glossing over her eyes, Happy spoke.

"We'll fly."

"What?"

"But you don't know where we're going. Plus, it'll deplete your magic," Gray argued. After a pause he continued, "Actually, on second thought, you should fly there."

"No. You two are riding the train." Natsu glared darkly at the redhead's statement.

"You really shouldn't tell him what to do, Erza," Happy advised. the glare that Natsu directed at her quickly reminding her who was in charge. Then, Lucy stepped up.

"Maybe you could tell him why he has to ride the train."

"We don't know what we're up against so it would be easier if we stuck together."

"We'll think about it." Without another word, the duo turned and left the guild. Lucy set her eyes on the door before summoning Pieces.

"Bye guys. See you at the station!" Erza looked around noticing the lack of protesting members provided.

"Oh well. I guess I finally get to see Lucy and Chaos on a mission together. Plus, I'll get a break from all the laughing and running," Gray said as he began walking to the door. He had hardly taken three steps when Erza called out to him.

"What do you mean 'laughing and running'?"

"Ever since they got back from their mission, Chaos has been giving chase to Lucy," Gray replied as he turned to his guildmate.

"He hurts her?" Erza almost growled.

"No. Not even close," he laughed.

"Then what?"

"He plays with her. Like playing actual games. When he comes down for his drink, if he doesn't call for Mira first, Lucy will say something to him and he'll chase her. She just runs away, laughing her head off. When he goes back upstairs, she just hangs out down here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides chasing Lucy around, his behavior hasn't really changed that much."

"Where's Lisanna been?"

"Donno. Left after you did. Hasn't come back yet."

"Hmm," Erza murmured as her fingers rested on her chin.

"See ya at the station, Erza," Gray called as he started for the doors once more.

"Clothes, Gray."

"Dammit. Not again." Erza rolled her eyes and left the guild as well.

XXX

At the train station, Natsu, Happy and Lucy were the first to arrive. The train pulled up and once everyone had gotten off, the others began to board. Lucy looked at Natsu with worry.

"Will you ride or fly?"

"Ride," Happy answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But let's settle in before the others get here." Lucy nodded and soon they once again had train car to themselves. As Natsu situated himself on Lucy's lab, Lucy waved to Erza and Gray through the window. That is before she saw the huge cart of suitcases trailing behind the red headed female. So many suitcases packed and bound, they reached far above the tallest person's head. Lucy couldn't help wonder what she held inside. Gray and Erza quickly boarded the train, with Erza dropping off her suitcases somewhere, and joining them in the train car. Upon seeing the trio Gray simply shrugged and sat on the seat across from Lucy. Erza somehow managing to trip over either herself or nothing before seeding herself next to Gray.

"So where are we going orzo? Lucy asked.

"Um...North?" She answered staring at Natsu.

"You don't even know where we're going?" Happy scrutinized.

"I know where we're going!" Erza shouted back.

"Oh yeah? Then explain."

"Very well. I intend on going back to the tavern and interrogating the villagers," she replied confidently.

"What if that doesn't work?" Gray asked.

"It has to. Time is of the essence," Erza replied as she slammed a fist into her other palm.

"Then maybe we need a different strategy," the navy haired boy suggested.

"Lullaby," Lucy muttered. "Where have I heard that before?"

"What did you say, Lucy?" Gray interrupted.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering where I've heard that before."

"You've heard of it?" Erza wondered aloud.

"Yeah. Actually, I read about it at my old house. It was..." Her voice died in her throat as a memory came back to her. She had found a secret section of books in her Mansion's library and spent a week reading all of them. One, in particular, stood out. The cover of the book was a deep purple with dark lettering on the spine and cover. Inside the wording was like a history book with pictures on every page. Or maybe it was a spell book. Lucy looked back at Erza with wide eyes.

"Do you have any other information on Lullaby?" Just then the train conductor called the train stop.

"That's us. Let's go," Erza announced.

"You guys go ahead. We'll catch up," Lucy called out to them as they started to leave the train car.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked.

"Nothing. Trains make me a bit queasy is all. I usually miss my stop just because I take too long getting off," the blond covered.

"Okay, but to get off it in time."

"I'll try." With a nod, the two mages exited the train and Lucy gave a sigh of relief.

"Alright. Let's go, Natsu." The Dragon Slayer simply grunted in response. At that moment, as Lucy tried to pull Natsu upright, two or three other people entered the train car. Natsu stiffened as their scent drifted to him. He knew that smell. Without a word, Natsu hooked one of his legs around Lucy's and tripped her. This caused her to collapse back onto the seat pulling Natsu with her. She opened her mouth to protest but his hand covered it.

"Dark Guild," he muttered. Lucy's eyes widened. The two other mages hadn't noticed them yet so Lucy whispered back,

"What you we do?"

"Listen." Luckily they sat in the seat just behind them and the conversation easily flowed over the seats to the eavesdroppers.

"I can't believe it. After many long years we finally got the Lullaby seal broken," one said.

"I know. Eirgore will be so happy," said the other.

"I wonder where he's gonna play it."

"Play it?" Lucy whispered.

"Eirgore?" muttered Natsu.

"Onibus," Natsu growled. Unfortunately for them, the dragon growled a bit too loudly. The blond could hear them shifting in their seats and once more Lucy pulled Natsu's lips to hers. The dragon growled in disapproval, not that any of them knew that. They simply scoffed in disgust and returned to their conversation. As soon as they were clear, she released him.

"We have to warn the others," Lucy breathed.

"Warn the others about what, sweetheart?" With a gasp, Lucy jerked her attention to their targets.

"About our relationship. He isn't really that well liked and we've been dating for six months in secret. Our friends have no clue and not even my parents know. If they did, they would freak. Believe me. You won't tell anyone will you?" she answered without even missing a beat. She responded so effortlessly it was almost as if it had been the truth. The man who asked the question looked at his friend in confusion as the blond gave him her best pleading stare, as if she desperately wanted him to give to her story. It almost worked too if one of his friends hadn't noticed the guild mark plastered on her hand. When he pointed, both sides glanced at each other before springing away. Natsu swayed as the train trudged along but managed to keep his balance. Their enemies didn't seem to notice the difference in his skin tone. Hopefully it would stay that way.

"Well, what do we have here? Did you fairy flies get lost?" the leader taunted.

"Actually, it seems that we found what we're looking for," the celestial mage answered smugly as she ran her fingers through her partner's hair. Hopefully, it would aid in keeping his motion sickness at bay for a while.

"Really? What would that be?"

"Wouldn't you idiots like to know? But if you did, I'm sure your tiny little minds would explode. Such sensitive information shouldn't be handed to children," Lucy shot back as she turned back to the other mages. She tangled her fingers in his hair to not only distracter her sick partner but to disrespect the men behind her.

"Why you–"

"Beautiful, sexy, blond girl? Yeah, I get that a lot. Thanks." The man just yelled in frustration and launched his attacks.

"Chaos Dragon's Shield," Natsu murmured. The enemy's attack surged forward towards the dragon slayer's less known black gladiator–like shield with the bright blue symbols glowing against it. The attack hit dead on yet, nothing happened. Lucy cast a glance over her shoulder and smirked showing she knew that would happen.

"Is that the best you babies got?" came the blond's angelic voice. Anger surged through the men and again they tried to attack the fairies. Long black shadows reached out to grab them, only to be crushed by long clawed tendrils. Once the demolished shadows vanished, the dragon claws began their own assault. They wrapped themselves around the men and threw them around the car. That is until the train jerked to a sudden stop. The force knocked everyone to the floor. The only problem was that Natsu didn't get back up fast enough.

"Aw, is the poor water mage sick? Does he have motion sickness? How pathetic."

"Water mage my ass," Lucy scoffed.

"I'll show you pathetic. Not even motion sickness can stop me from ending your lives," the salmon-haired male growled as he pushed his body off the ground.

"Oh yeah? How?" they mocked.

"You know, I'm surprised you guys haven't recognized him yet," Lucy thought aloud.

"You are so right, Lushy. You would think that these guys have lived under rocks their whole lives," Happy added. Now, I know where what you're thinking. Where has Happy been all this time? To give a short explanation, Happy had left with the other and then chased down the train when he found that the train had left with them still inside. When he came inside, he easily picked up on what was going on and jumped in.

"After all, I'm pretty sure that everyone knows the infamous slayer. Isn't that right?" The men paled.

"Oh, you do know him?" The men nodded.

"Then you should know that I'm his newest partner. Prepare to have your butts kicked," Lucy finished with a smile. Despite the smile on her face, the mark on her hand pulsed black.

"Chaos Dragon's spearhead," Natsu chanted. The black seal appeared once again and from it came the usual thousands of black arrowhead projectiles. The men desperately tried to avoid them but failed miserably. When the spell faded to reveal that the leader had disappeared. With the other men disposed of, the trio glanced around for the last remaining man. Behind their backs, shadows grew and like the tendrils, they wrapped around Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. Natsu growled unhappily.

"As much as I loved my ass being handed to me, I'm afraid that this is your stop."

"What–" Before Lucy could say another word the shadow mage threw the Fairy Tail members away from his body. However, rather than throwing them in front of him, they were thrown to the side where they crashed through the side of the train car. Broken shards of glass and splintered wooden planks sliced into their bodies as they were sent hurdling towards what could easily be their deaths.

 **Wouldn't it be horrible if the entire story just ended right here? What did you think of this chapter? Was it great or not? Come on people, where is the constructive criticism? It doesn't have to be a lot but any would be good. I know I'm forgetting something but if I remember, I'll add it later. For now, until next time.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, favourite, review**

 **~Peace out!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Good morning my faithful followers. How has your day been? I can only hope that your day has wonderful and now it is about to get better. It's time for another chapter of Dragon Scales. Now, I must say that recently I have come to a decision regarding Dragon Scales. Now, as I'm not sure if you are all aware of it, there are certain patterns of Natsu's magic to help distinguish which part of his magic that he is using. However, I have recently decided to add actual color to his different chaos magic. This lead me to another decision. To rewrite all of Dragon Scales. I have actually started on it and I haven't gotten that far on it. Anyway, when I say rewrite I mean that I will be adding details and fixing mistakes that I made earlier that no one caught yet. The revision of the prologue is going up next so if you should take a look at it before and after I change it...if you're fast enough.**

 **REVIEWS WERE AMAZING! They were so much better than I have ever received and I loved ALL OF THEM! First of all, I fixed all the mistakes that you guys pointed out. I don't remember if I posted the revision but I totally fixed them. Second, I know I haven't posted it yet but I also fixed the interaction that Lucy and Erza had right before they went to the train station. Also, if I say anything right now about the sleep control (I need to think of another word for it) then I will spoil the surprise so you will have to wait on that. Keep up the amazing work.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

 **~Chapter 13~**

Oh, what a happy day it was. The sky was bright, the air was warm, the birds were singing, etc., etc., etc. What a perfect day to falling to your death. With your own salvation just out of your grasp, what else was there to do but admit defeat? Although, she wasn't one to give up early. She didn't want to die or surrender, or whatever, but it currently seemed like it was her only option. She wasn't about to force Natsu to save her so she was simply falling to her death. Happy was out of commission as well since when they flew through the wall that the poor feline had been knocked out. Granted, she knew she did this very thing when she first started her training. However, that was a different circumstance. He was the reason she was falling so he had to save her as compensation. But now, it wasn't his fault and she wasn't going to force her rescue. A rescue she desperately needed.

That was a fact that was clearer than glass. The ground was rushing towards them and while it didn't mean much to him, the fall could easily kill his flightless companion. She held tightly onto Happy and closed her eyes as the ground drew closer. Using his magic to latch onto her body, he yanked her closer and wrapped his body around hers as the ground rushed to meet them. Except... they were met with a thump from a hard metal roof. Their bodies bounced on the metal surface and they scrabbled for a handhold as it continued to move forward. Turns out, their guildmates were more resourceful than they were given credit for. Or at least credit given by Natsu and Lucy. As many might question, there was a reason why Natsu didn't use his magic to save them. He really didn't feel like it. He could see and hear the others coming up fast. If nothing else, he really wanted so see if they could make it. He knew that he could have easily saved her if they hadn't made it. However, luckily for her, they made it.

Opening her eyes, Lucy now took in her new surroundings. Air rapidly whipped past her face and pulled at her clothing trying to drag her down to the earth. Her hands, as well as Natsu's, were gripping harshly onto the roof in any way they could. Not that he needed to but it fit the situation. Gray and Erza sitting in the front with a black band thing around Gray's arm. It seemed as if they were on a sort of magic vehicle that moved based off of one's magic power. Which was completely correct. As soon as the pair had realized that the chaotic duo was not in their presence they went for the train's emergency stop lever. That is after they pushed past security. When they were not able to stall the train any longer, they borrowed the magic vehicle in order to regain the distance they had lost. After several minutes of reckless driving, they finally caught up to the train. Except the sight they saw wasn't the one they were expecting. First, they saw the pair falling separately and before they knew it, Natsu and Lucy had collided on the roof. Lucy groaned as the hot metal rubbed against her skin.

"What the hell were you guys doing?! You-"

"Just got more information on Lullaby," Lucy finished, shouting over the wind.

"What? Did you say-"

"To Onibus! Full speed ahead!" cried Happy from his spot next to Gray. Why should he have to dangle just because his friends were?

"We got bad guys to catch," the feline shouted happily. Gray hardly acknowledged him but increased the speed of the car anyways. Natsu groaned in response. Aww, didn't you just feel sorry for him?

"Do you want to use your own magic instead of this?" Lucy asked, knowing that Gray couldn't hear her. He nodded but still said nothing.

"Can I come I too?"

"S...sure." Lucy smiled when he answered and they let go of the car at the same time. She gave half a wave to whoever was watching, probably Happy, as the car continued to bounce down the road. Indeed it was Happy who waved back but he otherwise didn't move. They were all going to the same place so what did it matter who he went with? Erza glanced back to check on them before returning her eyes to the road that lay before her. Wait a second. Erza jerked back to look at them once more only to find that they had disappeared. Again. Just great. Where did they go this time? She knew for obvious reasons what it couldn't be but what Ezra didn't hear was Natsu's spell as the car zoomed forward.

"Chaos Dragon's flight." The ancient blue and black seal appeared beneath their falling forms, putting an abrupt halt to their free fall. Once they stood on the sturdy circle, the dragon slayer surprised our resident celestial mage with his next words. Oh, joy.

"Chaos Dragon's Wings." The circle that was holding her weight disappeared and Lucy's only real response was a small squeak that launched its way out of her throat. As she felt her body begin to fall, she closed her eyes waiting to collapse on the ground. She hadn't heard this spell before and she wasn't sure what it did. Apparently, any logic that she knew she possessed, had flown out the metaphorical window and left her mind a gooey mess of random thoughts. Instead, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and warmth began to seep into her bones. Cracking open an eye, she saw quickly the world was moving below her and slowing her other eye open to gaze at her new surroundings. Her partner held one arm around her waist, while the other lay neatly by his side. What caught Lucy's attention was the pair of wings that had sprouted from his back. She couldn't help but stare at the intricate eggplant designs against its pitch black background. But, as he shifted her weight to keep her from falling, an idea formed in her mind. As of currently, Lucy was simply dangling in Natsu's arms, and that, she felt, wasn't really safe for her. The front of her body was already pressed into his side, so to add a bit more of an anchor, she wound her arms around his neck and twisted her legs around one of his.

"What are you doing?" he growled at her without looking down at her. She was already distracting enough, and he wasn't going to give her any more satisfaction of any kind.

"Well, you didn't give any type of warning and this makes me feel safer. You may not care about my safety but I do. Why did you switch?" She hadn't really seen his other magics yet and so far all of them had interested her.

"Flight is for levitating or holding more than two people. Wings are faster and meant for me and maybe one other person," came his growling voice. Unfortunately Happy wasn't there to answer her questions and he was so used to having her questions answered that he readily supplied her with the answer. Crap, he was getting used to aspects of her.

"That makes sense. You don't care for other people and waste your magic on them. As a result, you don't like using "Flight" since it would mean helping others," the blond reasoned. It was amazing how she understood his reasons without even being told them in addition to respecting them. Natsu only nodded his confirmation.

"Why me though? Why did you allow me to come with you?" She did have a point.

"I don't care for Ice Breath's questions nor do I want his scent on or around you. You'll have plenty of that when we aren't on missions. And if you want to be around me then you shouldn't have more male scents on you then necessary," he ground out.

"Aw, so you are the jealous type," Lucy cooed happily.

"Am not," he tried to deny. This was just great. Not only had he revealed some sensitive information but she could easily come to her own correct conclusions and use them against him.

"I'm pretty sure that you are. We could always test it if you want. Then we could see just how jealous you could be," the blond suggested, a sly grin creeping over her face.

"I could always drop you if I want," the dragon slayer countered.

"Yeah, but then you would come back to get right after." What was she talking about? There was no way that would happen.

"Why's that?" he looked down just daring her to answer his question. Lisanna didn't and missed her only chance years ago. Would this blond be the same?

"You would miss me too much," Lucy answered smugly. Natsu rolled his eyes. Nope. Not even close. This woman and her flamboyant ideas. When Lucy realized that Natsu wasn't going to reply, she sighed in disappointment. She could never tell just how much or how long he going to speak and sometimes she couldn't even get him _keep_ talking. She laid her head against his neck in defeat. Why did he have to be so closed off? Of course, it made sense but sometimes it just got in the way. The pink-haired dragon slayer had a tough shell to break. Or rather, a thick skin to penetrate. However, as incredible and indestructible as he may be, he still had a heartbeat. She could clearly feel a strong heartbeat thump underneath her ear. One could only wonder how it was even possible for someone to even get close enough to him to even know if he had a heart. If someone were to get close, what would come of it? Would they be hurt by his magic or shunned by society? Surely nothing would happen since no one got close to him in the first place, but humans were an unpredictable species. Who knew what they would decide to do next? So as they flew through the air, Lucy began to drift to sleep. She didn't mean to but it was a surprisingly soothing ride. The rushing wind, the almost silent wingbeats, the fast pace in which the ground below them, all of it was amazing. Some could easily be freaked out with just the fact that it was Natsu, or "Chaos" as everyone else called him, was holding her. Lucy, however, was perfectly content where she was. She felt safe and protected despite the chaos that he brought and generated.

She soon felt him begin to slow through her daze and he nudged her awake. How thoughtful of him. In the sky, they could see the huge crowd that formed around the outside of the train station. Didn't these people have anywhere else to be? Curiosity filled both the mage's minds, and it was Natsu who decided to investigate. Landing within the outskirts of the crowd, but still near the guards, the dangerous pair quickly made their way to the front. When they arrived, they were greeted with,

"Halt! No one is permitted to enter without proper authorization." Ha! As if that would stop them.

"We're mages from Fairy Tail. What seems to be the problem?" the blond smoothed over. After all the time she spent at the guild, she had picked up the habit of trying to delegate without causing too much unnecessary violence. Much to the irritation of our favorite violent dragon slayer.

"Where is your stamp?" the guard pressed. Really? Why would they lie about something like that? Then again, after the incident with Bora, it is hardly surprising. After showing the stamps on their hand and arm, the guards sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness you two are here. We seem to have a hostage situation," the guard provided after letting them pass and leading them towards the steps.

"Do you know where is sausages are being held?" Lucy asked.

"You misunderstand. Everyone got out safely but the people who attacked are holding the. building hostage. You see, this is the only train station that will reach Clover," the guard mended.

"Clover? You mean the town clover?" Obviously the town Clover. It certainly wasn't the flower.

"That's right," the man confirmed.

"And what of the people? You didn't get any names or anything?" Lucy pressed. It was really a shame that Happy wasn't here yet. When was he coming again?

"No. Sorry. And unfortunately, this is where I leave you. For the safety of the public, I must remain out here. The others won't know what to do without me," the guard might have joked as he paused at the bottom of the stairs. If it was a joke than it was a very poor one and if he was serious then that was just plain sad and they needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"That's all right. We'll take care of it. Oh, and we have two more of our team members who will be joining us shortly," Lucy added before it could slip her mind.

"You really need to more people?" Did he really think that they could handle it on their own? He had no idea who was under the cloak yet he still thought that they didn't need more people. Which they didn't.

"Of course not. We weren't able to stop them from coming. They have a tendency to stick noses in other people's business. Especially our own. We've been trying to train them otherwise," Lucy answered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I see. Very well, when we see them, we'll let him pass."

"Great. The girl has scarlet red hair and there will be a blue exceed with her. Oh and a guy with a stripping habit." She gave the vaguest descriptions but they seemed accurate enough. It wasn't everyone who could fit into that description.

"How we know-"

"Just trust me, you'll know," the blond assured. The guard then turned around and went back to his post after giving a slight nod.

"How long do you think they will be?" Lucy asked. Natsu only grunted in response. Clearly, he didn't are if they _did_ come. Lucy sighed in disappointment. It wasn't so much of her friends not being there. It was more of thinking, why can't he be more talkative? And more thoughts based around, didn't he have more to say? This line of thinking only brought her more questions with it than answers. What would he say if he did talk more and how would affect people around him? Would she really want to know what he was thinking? On another random tangent, why the cloak? She could understand why but just _why_? What made him want to use a cloak in the first place? Was it really that effective?

"Natsu, why do you wear a cloak?" She hadn't realized that she asked the question until it was already out of her mouth. Oh well.

"So people don't freak out when they see me." Those scaredy cats.

"Any other reason?" Lucy prompted as they passed another hallway. That couldn't be the only reason.

"So I can get more done without people freaking out." Now he was just being mean. That was a bit of a super obvious answer.

"You really don't like people do you?" What? Obvious answers deserve obvious questions. Everyone knows that.

"Correct. I also can't have people interrupting me while I work." Lucy wasn't really that convinced but it wasn't like there was anything that she could do about it. For now, that is.

"I see. You don't mind me though, right?" Natsu growled "I didn't hear no. Yay!" she exclaimed quietly. So far, the only thing the pair had encountered was empty space and random pieces of overturned furniture. Did these people know how to leave a place without dismantling it in their "panic"? How did these things get knocked over in the first place? And if they were in a hurry, wouldn't it make being more difficult to move an escape if they stopped to tip over everything in their way? Whatever the reason, any further thoughts that she could possibly think of were cut short when Natsu stopped suddenly. Lucy just barely stopped herself from crashing into him and looked around the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but she could never be certain since she lacked the tracking senses that Natsu possessed. There was a single set of large double wooden doors in front of them, and Natsu was baring his teeth at them. Adrenaline began to course through the blond's veins, as she waited for Natsu's signal. Lucy couldn't help but wonder what he was waiting for. Was a possible that he was waiting a few extra seconds for Gray and Erza to catch up? It was a probability but it was unlikely that he would openly admit it. After a few more seconds, the dragon slayer moved in front of the doors and threw them open. They clanged loudly against the wall, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Which was when Lucy joined in.

"Hello, boys... And girls. If you don't know if we are then you must live under a rock. We are here to drive you from this establishment, and hopefully from our lives. I hope you're good at running. Since you might as well start now." Her hands moved in a grand gesture towards the door but no one moved a muscle. How sad.

"Well, what do you know? We've attracted some Fairy flies. It's so cute that you think you'll be able to kick us out." From out of nowhere a single person rose above the rest and sat levitating in the air. His legs were crossed at the shin and his elbows rested on his knees. The classic cross-legged formation. He had no shirt, baggy pants, and there was a black scythe on his back, probably for more than decoration. After being provided who this person was, Lucy began again.

"Erigor, baby! Long time no see! How's the guild? I can see-"

"Enough! What is the meaning of this?" Erigor shouted cutting off the blond. Wow, rude much? She wasn't even done yet.

"Aw, no small talk? Where's the entertainment? After all, once we beat you all to a pulp, we won't get another chance to talk. Unconscious people have a habit of not responding when spoken to," Lucy wondered. There was even some fake underlying concern heard in her voice.

"You must be delusional, blondie. We aren't going anywhere. So, why don't you run on home and we can all get back to our business?" Erigor replied with a scoff. He tried to send an intimidating glare down at her but didn't otherwise more. So much for that idea.

"Well, that's alright. If you won't leave voluntarily, then I guess you leave us no choice." The fake smile dropped from her lips as she turned back to Natsu.

"Look, sweetheart, I tried. I really did, Ok? I tried but I couldn't get them to move. I guess it's time for your tactic instead," Lucy said mimicking a disappointed tone. It sounded as if she were a type of agent talking to a client! What a laugh, not that anyone else was doing it. Her tone was then followed by a very realistic pout. Wasn't that cute?

"Beat it, Fairy Fly. And take your boyfriend with you," Erigor shouted with a gesture to the door.

"It seems that you don't realize who you have here," Lucy mock protested. Clearly, they had no clue. She turned to face her enemy once more.

"Who we have here is a living legend! An infamous mage which power is known throughout Earthland! You can even feel his power from miles away and his very name shouldn't be said around the faint of heart," Lucy boasted smugly. As much as it didn't seem like it, most of what she said was very accurate with some exaggeration sprinkled on top. Natsu had yet to reveal himself, so he stood quietly by the doors, leaning against the wall with his hood covering his hair and shaving his face. The rest of his cloak was loosely wrapped around his body in a very cliche-ish manner.

"And who might this _living legend_ be?" Erigor yawned. Aw, he shouldn't have done that. Too bad. Overall, he thought that the blond's performance was really quite boring and just wanted it to be over. Didn't this girl realize he still had more on his agenda that he needed to get done? No, of course, she didn't. Lucy's grin widened at his question. He may seem indifferent now, but wait until he saw her partner. Still smiling widely, the excited celestial mage skipped over to the quiet dragon slayer.

"Before I continue, I must say a few words. I am not really sorry for the tragedy that is about to befall all of you. Ladies and gentlemen of whatever dark guild you are from, bow before your Destroyer, the Chaos Dragon Slayer. You are can just call him, Chaos." Lucy laughed in satisfaction as she watched the scene before her unfold. Erigor's eyes widened in shock, some people think it's, others trip over themselves trying to get to Erigor to demand answers. They hadn't realized that it would be Chaos that would be the one sent after them. Surely he wouldn't let them escape with even their lives. And what about that girl? She was a total wild card. Who in their right mind would hang out or partner with Chaos?

"Oh, come on men! Don't you dare turn into spineless cowards now! Can't you see what a great opportunity this is? We've caused enough trouble for Chaos to be sent after us. We can finally-"

"Actually, Chaos goes where he pleases. He doesn't get "sent" to places. And really, he doesn't even want to be here. Neither of us wanted to, and we both feel that this is a waste of time. The only reason that we are here is because we were forced to come. I was even dragged here," Lucy corrected halfway through Erigor's encouragement speech. So much for building up his guild.

"How do we know this guy is even the real Chaos?" Someone from the crowd asked. That... That was a really good question.

"Well, one) he hasn't spoken, two) you can feel his aura from where you stand, and three..." Lucy's hand then went up to his head and pulled off his hood before he could even blink. Lucy just smiled and hugged him, probably to keep him from smacking away her hands.

"His undeniable salmon colored hair! What more could you possibly need it?" she almost squealed excitedly.

"Why are you touching him?" Erigor asked. How nice, he noticed.

"What?" Lucy replied while pulling a familiar gold key off her belt.

"Everyone knows that no one can touch Chaos. Why are you?" Erigor leaned forward his eyes demanding to know the reason. Ha! As if she would ever give him that answer.

"That is for me to know, and you to never find out," Lucy growled. "Go." There was a second's pause before all hell broke loose. The familiar form of Taurus burst up in the center of the crowd and began taking down left and right with a single swing of his axe. Panic coursed through the veins of all who stood in the way as they tried to figure out what was going on.

"Get the girl, you idiots!" came their leader's angry voice. In a split second, the battle seemed to shift and a wave of dark mages came hurtling towards her. Natsu didn't move as Lucy called Capricorn to battle. They hadn't been training that long before this mission and the only thing that she had accomplished magic wise, was her being able to keep the cages open longer. However, she did gain a little bit more muscle and stamina. As of right now, she was actually holding her own against these people. That is until too crowd her all at once. As cliche as it might sound, Natsu had to join at this point. His little training couldn't die just yet.

"Chaos Dragon's Claw." The darker the navy colored dragon claw surged forward after knocking enemies every which way and closed around the girl just as the first mage jumped on her in an attempt to restrain her. More and more joined in on jumping on her to try and add their contribution of restraining the blonde until it became one huge dogpile. How original. All was silent for a single second before the dogpile exploded sending people into the air at various speeds, distances, and heights. Enemy mages starting raining all over the area and Lucy turned to Natsu before running over to him. She threw her arms around him and buried her nose in his neck.

"Thank you, Natsu," she whispered.

"Get off," the dragon slayer muttered quietly, but made no attempt in pushing her off. At the moment she pushed her body off of his, the big oak doors burst opened once more. When the dust settled, Lucy's eyes fell on Erza's scarlet hair and passed over Gray's naked chest. Great, more of that. Finally, their hunting party had caught up. Now it was time to play. She pulled her own body completely away from her partner's just as Erza turned her gaze to them. Opening her mouth speak, she was cut off by a higher pitch almost squeal like sound. As if appearing out of nowhere, a small blue blur launched itself towards the pair and after almost knocking the blonde off her feet, settled between her breasts. A low growl rose from the throat of the jealous dragon slayer just as the feline withdrew his body and latched onto the body of his best friend.

"We finally found you guys! It was so boring without you!" Happy cried. Well, of course, it was boring. Why wouldn't it be? Curling around Natsu's neck, Happy rubbed his head on Natsu's cheek before returning to Lucy once more. Now, didn't he have a favorite? Note the sarcasm.

"Took you guys long enough. Where have you been?" Lucy asked.

"I was stuck with these two. As fast as they hurried to get here, they were still taking forever!" Happy countered waving his paws at his travel buddies.

"Enough chatter! Time to-" Erigor started. It was a shame he didn't get to finish.

"But I didn't even introduce my friends yet! Titania needs an introduction to. And what about Fairy Tail's resident ice mage? Why don't they get an introduction?" Although definitely not as feared as Natsu, Erza was famous, if not only for her accomplishments then probably by her attitude. The people in front of her stammered and fainted and even Erigor had recognition cross his ugly face.

"Time's up, Erigor. Hand over Lullaby," Lucy demanded as she held out her hand.

"Sorry, but I won't have you Fairy Flies interrupt my plans. Get them, you cowards!" How cliche of him. The members the dark guild reluctantly charged Lucy and her friends and the battle began.

"Chaos Dragon's Secret Art: Phantom Zero," Natsu muttered beneath his breath. Holding out his palm a dark mahogany orb began forming in the center. The audience in front of him froze in fear. They could only wonder what he would unleash next. Poor, poor, sad, pathetic mages. Once the orb was charged, a concentrated beam of magic torched the mages before him.

"Taurus! Capricorn! Let's get 'em!" Feisty little girl wasn't she? Lucy now launched herself into battle once more, still with her spirits at her side. Enemies were flying left and right and it could have been the fact that Lucy was having more fun than usual.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" The light blue ice hammer, that Gray just loved to create, sparkled in the artificial light and many even paused in awe to stare. This was prior to being crushed by the object and being knocked unconscious. Men and women alike were being defeated, many with different objects as each object could only last a few seconds before breaking and getting replaced by something else. As for Erza, she was requiped into a different outfit. Her plated armor covered her chest with a large metal flower decorating it. A large billowing skirt sat around her hips, with a metal plating in the upper parts that left her stomach exposed. Large metal wings appeared at her back and each looked as if they were made up of individual blades. A wing like headpiece sat on her hair and laced around her head. In an instant, a circle of swords appeared around her. What a neat trick.

"Dance, my blades," was her command. The swords started spinning rapidly in the seconds prior to their departure in a disk formation. Then, they separated and flew towards her enemies. Bodies flew in every direction and Erigor knew that if he didn't finish his plan soon. It wouldn't happen at all. Giving orders to one of his men, Erigor promptly disappeared leaving no evidence to where he might have gone. After watching this man run down a darkened hallway, Erza gave orders to follow him. When no one moved, mostly since they were preoccupied, Lucy kindly asked Natsu to retrieve the man. He was already standing around, so why not? Quickly disposing of the enemies around him, Natsu began his "adventure" down the darkened hallway. Gray watched from a distance as Chaos's body melted easily into the shadows until he couldn't take it anymore. The ice mage quickly finished off the dark mages around him wanting, to follow the chaos dragon as he dashed down the hallway. There was no way he would let some chaos bringer take all the glory. Erza couldn't stop the pride that flowed through her at her current situation. She sent Chaos away, one of the boys would capture the target and she had time alone with Lucy. After they finished this battle, which was an easy task and didn't really take that long to accomplish. Although, Lucy asked the one question that made Erza's stomach drop.

"Can we go find Natsu now? He should have been back by now." Lucy glanced the hallway once more. She truly missed him and now Erza was trying to be nice to her. And after what she pulled on the train? She didn't think so.

"What about Gray?" Erza asked. Lucy had to stop herself from making a face of disgust at the notion.

"He was just jealous. Why would we reward him with my concern if it wasn't his idea?" Oddly enough, the blond had a point. Erza almost couldn't believe it. But, this rose another question.

"Then why go after Chaos? It wasn't his idea either," Erza countered as she glanced around the room. Well, weren't these girls just full of excellent points? Satisfied with their work, the girls began making their way to the ominous hallway.

"Since when has Natsu ever done anything you told him? He only went after the shadow mage because I asked him. Whether or not he actually decides to go is up to him. You should know that better than anyone. Fortunately for the mission, he _chose_ what was worth his time." Erza nodded in agreement as they entered the empty corridor.

"You know, with the way you talk about him, you make Chaos seem like a relatable person, rather than a vicious monster. Why would you do that?" The redhead cast a glance at her blond friend.

"He is. What do you know about him?" Lucy asked as they turned down another hallway. She could already guess what her friend knew but it was one of those things where you had to ask.

"Well...He was trained by Acnologia, he never does anything with the guild, he doesn't respect anyone in the guild, and he hates everyone. What else is there to know?" Erza replied casually. Was that really all she knew? Figures.

"But doesn't that thing make sense?" Excitement began to bubble within Lucy's blood but she forced it down.

"How?" Erza cocked her head.

"He was raised by a dragon who hates humans, then he is suddenly in an unfamiliar place with the very thing that he is taught to hate and without the one who gave him everything. A life, a home, possibly even a family. He was surrounded by people he didn't know and he wasn't sure what to do. I'm guessing that you guys fought the first time he showed his magic, right?" The Fairy Queen nodded her agreement.

"Did you have any other contact before that?" She shook her head and Lucy continued.

"If you think about it, that fight could have proved to him the very things that he was taught. That fight not only confirmed what he was taught was true but it put him in a higher place than everyone else. What more could he do besides live up to the reputation that he showed himself as? It's possible that he was taught to never back down or show any type of fear or hesitation. So, if he portrayed himself as a powerful, fearless, dangerous mage than that is what he would live up to. He couldn't afford to be anything else as that would not only ruin his reputation but destroy everything that he spent his whole life building. Even the smallest mistake might dismantle everything that he has ever known. He already had one lifestyle disappear and he isn't about to lose another one. Not if he has any power in stopping it," Lucy finished. It really was amazing that both girls were lost in their own thoughts at this point. The celestial mage couldn't stop the loneliness that was building up in her throat or the relief that she wasn't the only one with a hard past. It was also very interesting that she never thought of it before. Granted, she didn't have as many pieces than as she does now but it was still something she didn't know she could understand.

Erza couldn't believe the information she just heard. Everything that she thought she knew was being tossed out the window. Or maybe it was more like her thoughts being sent into a hurricane only to come back to her a jumbled mess that she couldn't figure out the meaning of. However, hearing of his past and his actions through the mouth of someone who understood, she knew that the blond beside her was telling the truth. What reason did she have to lie to her about anything regarding the grumpy dragon slayer? He was practically an immortal being how had no weaknesses that she knew of. Oh, how wrong this girl was. Lucy had plenty of reason to lie when it was convenient to her or when it assisted her best friend. Not that she or anyone else knew or would ever find out.

"What would it mean if he got dramatically worse?" The question came out of nowhere and easily wrenched both girls from their thoughts as the stared at the small feline who asked the question. Both thought that he was peacefully sleeping and hadn't heard a word. Only, the opposite were true. As soon as their conversation had turned the topic of the dragon slayer, he was wide awake and listening to every word. It was truly amazing that this girl knew so much about his father figure without even being told that much information. She was hardly given anything, information wise, and yet she found the hidden motives behind it all. However, this question had immediately burst into his brain and he had to ask before his tiny mind forgot the words. The blond cleared her throat.

"Most likely, it would mean that something constant in his life had been taken away from him. Something that he hadn't realized gotten close or something that he hadn't cut ties with. I would say to be careful and do anything to keep him away from that stage. Not only would it be dangerous for everyone at the guild but for himself as well. There's no telling what he would do." A sudden loud crash drew their attention and with a glance at the other, both girls dashed in the direction of the sound. Their quest was almost complete.

 **XXX**

Finding a single dark mage in a creepy dark hallway wasn't as hard as it seemed. Especially when sensing chaos was a particular skill up his. What didn't help, was the unnecessary assistance from the jealous ice mage. Natsu could practically see the jealousy rolling off the other boy's body in waves. It swirled in the air and try to choke the two males. The only thing was, Natsu wasn't too unimpressed to choke and practically waved it off while Gray couldn't stand the fact he gave into pride and jealousy. He was such a level-headed person. Why did he all of a sudden feel the need to try to one-up the dragon slayer? Upon coming to a fork in the hallway Natsu picked a random direction and started down it, forcing Gray to follow the other one. Why did he have to call the shots anyways? As he walked, Gray continue to grumble to himself. Who did he think he was that he could just boss everyone around him? His name was Chaos but did that give him the right to boss others? Depending on who you ask, it did. Someone say, "Sure. He's the most powerful so of course, you should listen to him." For others, there was, "He may not be the boss but at least he keeps his distance." Why would that be their answer!? Gray was more along the lines of, "I'll show him who's stronger." Of course, it never worked but it didn't hurt to try.

Unless of course, you're dealing with Chaos the dragon slayer. Then, only one wrong word or action could send you to the infirmary. It wasn't as bad as the wrong glance but with a nudge in the wrong direction could certainly get him there. Suddenly, a loud clang drew Gray's attention. Finally, Gray had caught up to him. The ice mage looked around for what could have caused the noise or if it was his imagination. Spotting a semi-open door, Gray ran to it and pulled it open. He ran inside, pretty much throwing all caution to the wind and disregarding all safety. Really? Who the crap would be stupid enough to do that? Gray apparently. Fortunately for the navy haired teen, there didn't seem to be any trap awaiting him. All that was around him was a control panel on one wall, pipes running along the ceiling and a metal container of something next to the door. Oh, and Darkness. Lots and lots of Darkness. The only light that was there, came spilling in from the hallway. Where was he?

"Looking for me?" Came the voice from the darkness. Of course.

 **So what do you think? Yay, or nay? Anyway, if you noticed, there is a bit more of the narrator's thought which I plan on adding more of. This is another thing that I'll be adding in the revisions. I also must say how I loved all of the reviews and I responded to all of them. You may not see the changes right away but soon you will. Also, can we have more reviews than 12? Is it possible to get more than that? Until next time!**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite and Review**

 **~Peace Out!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Good morning, my faithful followers. You will never believe what happened. I had to partially edit this chapter and completely out of order as well. Apparently, I killed off someone I wasn't supposed to kill off and he was really important a few chapters from now. How ironic is that? As for the original posting of this chapter, I was mostly rambling on about my other story Chaos's Fire which I won't really do again. There weren't any questions to answer either but oh well.**

 **I was also talking about how many reviews I get per chapter. It wasn't a lot before that point, but the next chapter it jumped quite a bit in number. Which was absolutely amazing. I just hope we can do it again. Anyway, that is all for now and the only other thing I have to say is that this chapter will be edited again but probably not for a while. I haven't gotten that far yet.**

 **Now, on to the story! Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **~Chapter 14~**

The most horrible thing that darkness can do is to block vision when trying to fight a bad guy. Maybe other people could think of worse things but those things don't really count right now. Sure darkness was good when providing a cover but it really didn't help if that darkness was aiding the enemy in kicking your butt. Darkness was supposed to be on the guy's team. How dare it aid the bad guys? That really wasn't all that fair. This was Gray's problem. In a dark room, he was fighting a shadow mage and Gray felt as if he was losing. How great was this? It was a horrible feeling and Gray hated it every second of it. The problem was, he wasn't all that sure how to stop it at the moment. The light had already been knocked out so there's no hope of turning it on. So, clearly, that wasn't an option at the moment. So, what else could be done? The ice mage was mostly the one getting pounded but nothing too major. He also had no way of knowing if the shadow mage had some type of seeing in the dark advantage.

"Ice make: lance!" Extending his arm, long, curved spikes flew from the present seal and impaled everything they touched. There wasn't much they could impale besides the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and the stupid shadow mage who was very clearly cheating.

"Guard shadow." Although Gray couldn't see the dark shadow dome that protected its castor, Gray knew his attack didn't reach the shadow mage. See? That was totally cheating.

"Ice make: knuckle." Seconds after punching the ground, nothing happened causing the enemy mage to laugh mockingly. Can you believe it? Not only was this guy cheating but he thought the Ice Mage of Fairy Tail was just some petty guy who was just an easy target to beat up. What a mistake that would be.

"That's it? Haha! And here I heard that the fairy flies were immeasurably strong. What a joke!" Gray smirked into the darkness seconds before the ground shook and the cracking tile burst apart to reveal closed fists that shot towards the ceiling. They then arched downward, straight to the evil mage that he was fighting against. For any who don't know, Gray currently stood against the back wall as the spell pushed the shadow mage out the door. He didn't really know why he didn't do it in the first place. The shadow mage growled as he wiped the blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You better take that back. Fairy Tail doesn't respond well to insults," Gray smirked. This was a true fact that anyone and everyone would agree on. How great was that? The shadow mage didn't respond and looked down the hallway and anger. Did he really think that pouting was going to do him any good? Because it really wasn't. Gray watched as panic suddenly flooded across his face as he began scrambling to get up and run. What could possibly cause that? There wasn't anything in the vicinity that could possibly cause that kind of fear. Was there?

"No!" The man shouted as the Shadows behind Gray rushed past and surrounded the now frightened man. Seconds later the man disappeared into the shadows that started to race down the empty corridor. Gray was stunned into silence as he tried to piece together what just happened. It only lasted until a large dark shape whooshed past the doorway. It didn't exactly make a sound but he could definitely feel the air move around him. Wait a minute. Gray ran to the doorway and looked down the hall. He wouldn't dare, would he? Probably. Anger now flowed through Gray's veins as he raced down the hallway. He already beat the shadow mage; No way would he let Chaos take all the credit.

 **XXX**

Once he was finally alone, our resident dragon slayer could relax the way he wanted to. Not that he was all that tense before, but the ice mage looked to make everyone else's life harder. Stupid prick. Anyway, he was mostly glad that he could actually breathe now without the air being tainted by jealousy. What a loser. Seconds later, the dragon slayer came to the conclusion that walking wasn't going to get his task done any sooner and the search needed to move faster. He really didn't want to spend more time here than necessary. There were too many doors to check, long hallways to walk and not lots of time to waste. Of course, a little magic use wouldn't severely hurt anyone. Especially, when there was no one around to harm.

"Chaos Dragon's Wings." The black wings with the eggplant coloring on the intricate designs unfurled quickly and soon they speedily carried a powerful mage down the dark hallways. The dragon slayer hardly opened the doors as he instead used his magic to feel if anyone occupied any of the rooms that he passed. So far, no luck. What did it take to find a single dark mage in a bunch of seemingly never-ending hallways? Sure, other people might have difficulty finding this annoyance, but not our favorite ferocious dragon slayer. He's far too superior for such nuisances like the one he had to chase. Speaking of which, a large crash drew his attention and he didn't need a second to decide what to do next. Air rushed past him as the dragon slayer zipped through the hallways, intent on finding his target. Finally. But it was a shame that the popsicle found him first. At least he was good for something. They weren't even that far away. Any proof that he could've asked for was given by the fact that just as Natsu turned down the next hallway, the form of his prey was thrown back against the wall and slumped on the floor. The greatest satisfaction that could possibly be received came just after the fact.

The moment that you see your worst fear out at the corner of your eye and after freezing place, the run for your life starts to end. Not even this mage's shadow could save him as he tried to run from the Shadow King himself. Not that it was an actual title that he held but it could easily become one if he so pleased. The Chaos Dragon didn't even glance in the direction of the ice mage as he passed the room and instead focused on the enemy who thought he could escape. The man's poor, sad shadow ran quickly along the cracked tile, while Natsu gloated just inches above him. As far as he could tell, the enemy mage was just a shadow on the ground and he had no way of knowing what the man could actually see. What he did know was the fact that nothing would stand in his way from catching this troublesome mage. The pitiful attacks the man threw from his shadow, not the zigzagging turns he tried to make, not even the walls and doors that tried to stand in his way could even slow him down. Soon, however, the chase came to a close as a man had finally run out of magic. The room was large; Full of boxes and one angry dragon slayer.

"Chaos Dragon's Claw." The oxford color tendrils now took their time to grow behind Natsu's back as if he had no knowledge they were there. They made no sound as they moved and slowly slid out from behind him almost as if they had minds of their own.

"No, no. Please!" the man pleaded. His begging seemed to activate the tendrils and they launched forward to grab him. The shadows moved to guard him at his will but Natsu's tendrils quickly and easily slid around his defense. A single dragon claw then wound it's way around one of the mage's ankles and ripped him out from behind his makeshift shield. Natsu just leaned against a wall and watched as his magic tossed his enemy around the room like a rag doll. It was quite interesting to watch, as it always was, but it quickly became boring.

"Chaos Dragon's-"

"Natsu!" A voice cried out. The dragon slayer huffed in exasperation. Why didn't these humans ever let him have any fun? Didn't most predators play with the prey they didn't eat? His train of thought was then derailed when he didn't immediately get the scolding he thought he was going to receive. Instead, when he turned, he saw something practically gold rush towards him. He was just barely able to brace himself before he was practically tackled by the blond chaos creator. It was then that he realized that the tone that had halted his actions wasn't one of anger or disapproval. It was one of joy and excitement. She hadn't cared what he was doing and instead focused on the fact that he wasn't hurt. But why would he be? He was more surprised by the by fac that she wasn't scolding him. No one else would ever be that stupid and even attempt to try such a risky action. However, with as much time as she had been spending with the fairies, he was sure that she would start to turn against him, and his more violent actions. Thank Mavis. That is... if he actually cared about such things. Thankfully most of him didn't. That didn't stop her from nuzzling her face into his neck, or the breath of relief that fanned his cheek and neck. Or even the way that her fingers slid into his hair, one hand twirling around the mini spikes that curled at the base of his neck, the other fisted a huge chunk of his spikes but higher than her left hand. She stayed there until a loud voice echoed loudly through the large, almost empty room.

"Y-ou...bastard! I h...had him! You can just swoop in, chase him around for awhile and take all the credit!"

"Excuse you. We're having a moment," Lucy spat at him without relinquishing her hold on the dragon slayer. She turned her head to speak to the intruder but not much after that.

"B-but...I had him!" Gray protested as his fists grasped at his hair harshly. And that was after his arms flailed wildly.

"Well, if you " _had"_ him then you can certainly tie him up. Then find it in yourself to be useful for a while," she replied with a smirk. She gave a small waving hand gesture to their surrounded enemy and returned to nuzzling her partner's neck. His hands had already settled on her hips and it was an action that he barely recognized that he made.

"Let go," growled the unhappy dragon slayer. The thing was that the male made no attempt to push her away. His hands stayed at her waist, and he made another movement so small but still not enough to know that he made it. His cheek brushed softly against her hair, and he took deep breaths of the chaos she was producing. To him, it really was an intoxicating smell.

"I don't wanna," she mumbled against his neck.

"We still need to deal with that pathetic excuse for a mage and get the flute. So quit getting distracted and get it done," came the harsh hiss that was only heard by one individual.

"Fine," she huffed, as she slowly pried her body away from his. She turned to rescan the room and after found that Gray was pouting and Erza was glaring at their prisoner, she called to the ice mage.

"If you are done pouting, then you can start the interrogation since you "caught" him." The irritated navy haired teen grumbled to himself what sounded like, "I wasn't pouting" but turned to the shadow mage anyway.

"Where is the Lullaby flute?" he started.

"I don't have it," he replied with a turn of his head. Arrogant, wasn't he?

"Didn't Erigor give you some type of important orders?" asked Erza.

"Maybe. But I'm not telling you anything." Well, that wasn't suspicious at all.

"Then, I guess... We have no choice," Lucy mumbled. Her tone was almost sad if it weren't for the hysterical laughter that immediately followed. Like any evil laugh, it started with the sob looking giggles, which was followed by the laugh everyone thought they knew. After that, the last died down and ended with a sigh and the wiping away of a fake stray tear. The crazy hysterical laugh was a joke by the way...if you couldn't tell. It would have proved to be too much crazy for this situation. That is... if you were following along. Anyways, when she was done with her regular laughing, she simply stared and waited for a reaction.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Wow, she didn't have to wait more than 10 seconds.

"Oh... I was thinking of what to tell Erigor when we see him again. I'm sure he won't be pleased." Her lips twisted into a mock pout and her eyes promised countless secrets that anyone would kill for. The only problem was, the shadow mage couldn't see the malice that bordered on the edges of her eyes or how it flowed out of every part of her body. The only person that had any inkling of her chaos was as calm and silent as ever.

He stood leaning against the wall near the blonde while the other two stood a small distance behind both of them. From the moment she had entered the room, something changed. No one noticed it was something else in addition to Chaos's change in actions and demeanor. It was when she wrapped her arms around him that he noticed that she still producing chaos from earlier. Sure it had dimmed some but it was still there and progressively getting stronger. It was perfect. Then it only escalated the more she spoke. Now, as she "tormented" the man in front of her, he took a spot near her to drink in as much chaos as he could.

"You can't tell him anything! I completed my mission!" the man shouted.

"Who said anything about completing your mission? I have something better to say than that." Her smile shifted again and sent a temperature in the room down several degrees.

"What do you plan on telling him?" the man couldn't stop the small tone of fear that crept down from his head and into his voice. It also didn't help that the fear was slowly spreading to the rest of his body faster and faster by the minute. How the hell could she touch Chaos so freely? Question of the century wasn't it? Anyway, the question that followed was, why did her friends seem almost frightened of her? Was that even the right word? It didn't seem so. It seemed clear that frightened was too strong of a word. Cautious was a better word. The man watched as a wide smile crawled across her face.

"I plan on spreading the rumor that you turned on them." Her words were light and playful but he could hear the threat and the malice under them.

"No! You can do that!" He yelled.

"Oh but I can. You see, if we turned you over to the magic council before your guildmate see you, they will have to believe us. After all, you won't be around to prove us wrong. How much clearer could the message be? You were scared that they would come after you, so we helped you escape the horrible fate you were about be subjected to. After you gave up all the information that you have stored in that pathetic brain of yours, you knew you had to go into hiding. No one would trust you after you gave up your guild. They wouldn't even accept you back into the guild. How does that sound?" The horrified look that was painted across his stupid fragile face, and it was all she needed. The happy grin never left her pink lips and her chocolate brown eyes gleamed with malice, hate, and mischief.

"Y-you wouldn't d-dare," he stammered.

"Try me," the only thing missing from this picture was fang-like canines that she didn't possess. "I haven't even been with the guild long enough for them to know when to hold me back. How does it feel to know that your life could be in the hands of a crazy person?"

"N-no. P-P-Please. I-I'll do a-anything," he begged. Her smile only seemed to widen, much to the man's horror.

"Great! Tell up what Erigor is planning and we'll let you go. And without any new bruises," she suggested, her smile just barely dropping.

"Y-you'll let me go?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Yup," she nodded.

"And you won't turn me over to the magic council?" She nodded again. The man thought for a moment and, "Sure," was his reply. Even if the room was silent, no one could stop the cheers that rang inside their minds. That is except the Dragon Slayer whose thought was just a "finally." The shadow mage paused to collect himself, who knew if he really even needed a moment, and when he opened his mouth the only sound that heard was him choking on his own blood. How violent was that? Two seconds later, everyone saw the fist that was through his chest and the second mage crying behind him, half his body inside the wall and the yellow magic seal being the only reason it was possible. What kind of people were in this guild and where the crap did they learn their magic?

"What...did you do?" the celestial mage growled.

"I-I-I-I... I had to do it! I didn't want to! He was my friend! But Erigor knew that he would crack under the pressure and I was the backup plan! I had to make sure you guys didn't find out about clover!" Before anyone could move, the oxford colored tendrils launched forward and dragged this unidentified mage out of the wall. After which, he was left hanging in the air when Natsu flexed both his hands by his side.

"Chaos Dragon's Blade," was mumbled under his breath. Pitch black magic pulsed around his hands, very quickly stretching into the long shapes of destruction. Then, as the shapes were still forming, he moved them to their still dangling enemy who was still struggling against the tendrils. Ha, like that would help him. When the shapes became clear, the dragon mumbled something else that no one had expected that he would do. It was a shame that they actually didn't know what he was going to do or even how it would affect them.

"Chaos Dragon's Darkness Mist." The other mages could only watch as when Natsu reopened his mouth a deep blue, practically black mist began to flow from it. Or at least, it flowed from a magic seal that sat in front of his open mouth. It started out and an almost slow and gradual pace but quickly picked up the longer it continued. The gas-like mist flowed into every corner of the room and then even started climbing the walls to reach the ceiling. It swam through the space that separated Gray and Erza from the other four and easily blocked their vision from whatever was happening on the other side. Which would turn out to be very important to the mission, not that they knew that, or even would find out. They were more concerned with the fact that this mist was crawling ever closer to their person and would probably affect them in a way that they really didn't want to happen. It did anyway.

"Hey! What-" Erza's question and exclamation were cut off by a sudden and violent cough that forced its way up her throat and constricted her lungs. Gray only lasted a second more before he soon followed as well. It hardly subsided with either of them for her next demand.

"W-what... i-is t-this?" The mist was fast acting and as she kept coughing she could see the black spots that began to dance across her vision. Curse that Dragon Slayer and his magic. There weren't many side effects besides the blurring vision and the almost lack of oxygen in the air but it was no big deal. Or maybe it wasn't a big deal for her. Gray would definitely argue if given the chance. However, despite what she felt, it was mostly the mist that made her feel like she was losing oxygen rather than her actually losing her precious air, which was a skill that the Chaos Dragon actually possessed. Gray wasn't faring much better as he had the same symptoms but he definitely couldn't hold out as long. He may have held out a second longer before coughing but he could already feel his body begin to lose consciousness. While it seemed to him that Erza would hold out longer, it was too bad that "hold out longer" was only a few seconds. Plus, there was also the fact that Natsu didn't answer her question and had yet to stop his flow of magic. The black spots in Erza's vision only got larger and larger and the air harder and harder to breathe as the seconds continued to drag on. It had seemed like it wouldn't end when Gray's body fell to the ground with a thud. Erza knew she only had a few more seconds before she too collapsed to the cement below her but there wasn't much she could do about that. At hearing their bodies fall, the dragon slayer closed his mouth and the flow of mist came to an end.

Lucy was left standing in the inner circle as the gas-like mist flowed and shifted around her. Her eyes then wandered to this strange circle she was inside of and hardly thought of how to escape. Her thoughts mostly revolved around how pretty this mist looked. It was her, Natsu, Happy, and the enemy mage left standing inside the circle the mist didn't penetrate, though the target hardly did much standing. She couldn't see anything through the oxford colored mist, which seemed to be his intention, and she hardly protested. Her chocolate brown eyes drifted to the shapes that were still held inside Natsu's hand and she wasn't all that angry at what they were. She wasn't surprised that they had formed weapons or that they were pressed up against their enemy so that he couldn't escape as well as fear for his life.

"You better tell us everything you know about what Erigor is planning. He really isn't known for his patience," came Happy's sleepy voice. How on Earthland did this cat sleep so much and still manage to keep up with the conversations? Or the situations around him? Did he ever lose track of where he was? Or get enough sleep?

"I-I-I don't know anyt-thing!" the enemy stammered.

"You mentioned Clover," Lucy countered.

"But that is all I know!" The black scythe that was around the back of his neck shifted ever so closer pressing harshly into the skin; while the sword at his stomach ripped through the fabric of his shirt and dug painfully into his fat belly.

"Talk. I don't have time to deal with your lies. Now I wouldn't normally knock out the maggots over there but I couldn't have them interrupting me as I prepare to tear the information out of you," the Dragon Slayer hissed. Was that just the nicest image he could have painted for his ugly enemy?

"I'm serious! He never told us his plans! I only know that taking Onibus was only a decoy! The real target is in Clover! There was only one other person who knew what he was planning and I just killed him!" he shouted out. Well, for a villain that was actually good planning on his part. Usually, the villain told everyone in his crew the whole plot and it ended with one man being turned and spilling all the beans or something. Huh.

"Happy, I need both of you to take your unconscious friends to the station exit. We need to get to Clover," Natsu ordered.

"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted. Flapping his tiny wings, the blue feline cleared a path through the mist to the other Fairy Tail Mages. Upon inspection, she could easily tell that they were still breathing and she couldn't stop the small stream of happiness that flowed through her. Lucy then slid her arms under the redhead's while Happy wrapped his tail around Gray and together they made their way towards the door. The blond was sure that her partner could have easily killed her friends with no hesitation and she was glad that he didn't... this time. Though, she could complain that her friends were heavier than they looked. When the pair had finally pulled them from the toxic mist, she called out one of her two spirits who could easily carry the mages so she and Happy wouldn't have to.

"Open. Gate of the Goat. Capricorn." In a puff of smoke, a ring of a doorbell and a simple question, the three, or five, of them were on their way to the entrance of the train station. What greeted them was not anything like she had envisioned since the dark hallway. Now, what she saw was a wall of gray as the wind around her harshly pulled at her hair.

"Lushy... what... is this?" Lucy could only shake her head in wonder for her answer. She continued to stare at the wall, unable to make any real coherent sound. All her attention was focused on this wall and no complete thought passed through her mind. She didn't even notice that her unconscious friends were waking up.

"W-what... h-happened...?" murmured the redhead, as she slowly sat up from where she had been laid on the cement. Capricorn was long gone, leaving the two mages to wake up to Happy and Lucy. While Gray just groaned as his indication of being awake. He was still feeling dizzy and his head was pounding as if someone was playing drums in his ears.

"G-Gray... are we... dead?" Erza asked as she looked over at her comrade. Great. That was just what she wanted in her heaven. Just stupid freaking Gray and no cake in sight.

"I don't think so," he answered. The requip mage was just about to sigh in relief when he added, "Unless he killed Lucy too." Unfortunately, his joke was met with the ever so serious Titania who shouted,

"I knew he didn't really care for her!" Yup, definitely the wrong time to joke about such things. Way to go, Gray.

"Calm down you eccentric mages. You aren't dead and neither is she. Although, she was spared from the mist and it's possible that the other guy is dead too," Happy yelled back at them from where he hung in Lucy's arms. It was then that he slipped out from her arms and approached the waking teens.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. How do we know the other guy is dead?" the Requip Mage asked as she scrambled up from the floor. Gray peeled himself off the floor much more slowly, knowing his questions wouldn't be answered at this time. Of course, he wanted to know why Lucy had been spared from the mist, but Erza's questions about the maybe dead guy were much more important. The blonde, however, still stared at the wall of something before her just barely listening to the conversation behind her.

"How should I know? It-"

"It might be due to the fact that any method that he might use as interrogation, you might try to interrupt him. He needed to pull information from that murderer and he didn't want any interference. That is why he sent me out here as well." Lucy's voice was dry and lifeless as she answered with her eyes still glued ahead of her. Then she was sucked into another memory of locked doors, empty hallways, loud voices and no escape.

* * *

" _But Daddy I-" young and small blonde girl stood trembling beneath the hard, cold stare at her father._

" _I won't tolerate it anymore! I can't change what you were born with and I can't take away what you have gained but I can certainly change the knowledge you've been given." Her father had started in a shout but then he began muttering to himself. At that time, the small child had no idea what was going on, or why her father was freaking out. He hardly spoke to her and with hardly any staff inside the mansion, she had a lot of alone time. With so much time to herself, she used that time to practice. Practice what she couldn't remember. Minutes later, her father was on the phone and soon he had a harsh grip on her arm and dragged her down to their carriage. Then they are bouncing down the road to some unknown destination, and the girl could only remember being sick the entire time. Days later, she woke up in a bed with no idea how she got there and no recollection of what had previously transpired. The last thing she remembered was that carriage ride. She looked around only to find out that she was in her own room. The only problem was that something was missing and she had no idea what it was. She couldn't even be sure on what it was since not all of her memories were taken. Her father was rich enough he could hire someone to remove all traces of the forgotten item when she was sleeping. Which might have actually happened. Not only that but there was something wrong with what was going on in her mind as well. She tried remembering but she felt as if someone had taken the blackboard in her mind and wiped away an important piece of the equation. What was so important that they had to steal her memories and everything of relevance in her room? After that, her father spoke to her less and less, not that he even spoke that much to her anyway. She was 11 now, almost 12, and she knew that there was something missing within her person. Even without her things or her memories, she knew something was missing. She was a prisoner in her own house and she wasn't sure what she could do about it. For now, she supposed she would just try and live with it. That is just until she figured out just what she lost. Or at least until something managed to happen before that._

* * *

After his gathering of information, and dragging the almost dead guy from the room, he had finally caught up to the unfortunate members of his team. What he saw either unsettling or unamusing and definitely unacceptable. The witness of his true nature was standing, a bit isolated, staring at the wall of some gray thing while the troublesome fairies behind her fought over something. Probably nothing important.

"Frozen Stream." The ever ancient seal of black and blue formed in front of his outstretched palm, but no one seemed to notice. Moving and flowing like water the dark blue, almost black colored ice, circled around each person, excluding the blond who was still unmoving. Flexing his hand caused the flowing ice to freeze in place, no pun intended, and from it long, sharp spikes sprouted from the smooth surface. It only took a second, but in that one second, the sharp spikes dug into the surface of their skin, preventing any movement from being made. All were made of aware of the spikes on their back but none had the courage to speak around the spike at their throats. With no sound being made, a hushed quiet fell over the group. Even Happy could feel the ice threatening to draw blood. Still holding out his hand, the dragon slayer ran his other hand through his cherry blossom colored hair before stretching it out towards the blond. The others couldn't even protest as they watched the clawed tendril approach Lucy. The thing was, it didn't wrap itself around her. Instead, it softly guided her to the Chaos Dragon. When she was close enough he let his magic around her drop and pulled her closer to his person. It was then that both mages had to turn their heads due to the new spike threatening to poke new holes into their cheeks. The spike at their throat moved with them and none could avoid it. As unnecessary as the action was, he still felt the need for privacy.

"I'm sorry, Daddy... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." she mumbled in less than a whisper. Looking at her eyes, he could see that they had glazed over again. Maintaining his focus on the Fairy Tail mages, he now brought his free hand to cup her cheek, while the other securely wrapped around her waist. In all honesty, he had no idea what he was doing. Nobody could tell but, in his head, he was all but screaming for his body to stop, not that it was listening to him. It also didn't help that he didn't like that glassy look in her eyes and almost felt compelled to fix it. Slowly, her eyes slid to his but the glossy look didn't fade. He didn't even realize that his body was leaning towards her until he felt his lips connect with hers. He felt nothing but chaos from her and he loved it. His eyes slid closed and his arms tightened around her waist. He wasn't about to let this precious chaos go. When he pulled away, he watched as the glossy look dissolved from her warm chocolate brown eyes. Her breath calmed from its shallow pace and she spoke in the softest tone he'd ever heard from her.

"W–what's going on?" she asked, as she stared into the eyes of the almost calm Dragon Slayer. Was he... helping her?

"That's what I was going to ask," he murmured back to her.

"I... I just... I saw the wall of gray and..." her voice trailed off as her eyes started to drift back to the wall.

"Hey," Natsu snapped as he grabbed her chin. "Don't look at that. Focus on here. So, if you're gonna hang around me then we can't have this... around others," he said gesturing to her body before he continued.

"We are stronger than anyone here," he told her. He barely held in a smirk as he said his next words, "Prove it." She nodded and pulled away the same moment he let her go. Her gaze slipped to the wall once more before she steeled her nerves and looked away. She had already given into the memories once, and she wasn't about to do it again so soon. This was when Natsu turned his attention back to the spiked prisoners. He lowered the spikes at their cheeks, then released Happy altogether. The feline cackled happily then flew into Lucy's arms as he rubbed his freedom in the face of the two mages.

"Now happy, tell me what the hell is going on," the Dragon Slayer growled, as he glared at the mages. He still didn't appreciate the fact that they had forced the blond to go with them so that he would come. How low could they get?

"They were saying how you didn't care for Lushy and how you wouldn't care if you killed her. After that, they were worried about the maybe dead guy you dragged back here," Happy repeated with a shrug of his tiny shoulders.

"I don't. Also, I brought him since he isn't dead and he might give us some useful information if he lives," the dragon argued.

"Sure. You don't _care_ for her. You should probably get him some help if you plan on keeping him alive, the feline shot back with a roll of his eyes and a gesture at the unconscious man who lay behind them.

"Doesn't matter. This conversation is over, isn't it?" The two mages felt the spike at their throat shift in both nodded as best they could. When they felt the spikes retract from their bodies, both gasped and gulped down as much air as they could. Which almost caused them to choke. How pathetic was that? When they had finally caught their breath, most turned to the gray wall before them. Erza went over to check the wounds of their enemy and hopefully keep him alive, completely ignoring the leaves and grass and hats and things that whipped past at an alarming speed.

"Is that wind?" The Ice Mage asked. Wow, great observation. When Chaos didn't respond in the first few seconds after he asked the question, he took matters into his own hands. Which turned out to be a really, really bad idea. He summoned one of his more powerful spells and threw either his body or his magic into the wall in an attempt to cut it down. It didn't work. Instead of doing anything he planned, as soon as his body touched the wall, he was sent hurtling backward, almost decimating the wall he crashed into. To be expected.

"Ha, ha ha. You couldn't break through my wall, you idiot Fairy Flies," a voice left harshly. Glancing up at the ceiling, the Fairy Tail members saw Erigor appear through the wind.

"Erigor, I should have known," Lucy spat. She recovered quite nicely.

"It's too bad that you no longer have a chance of stopping me. And you showed such promise too," Erigor said snobbily as he chuckled to himself.

"What are you not telling us, Erigor?" Lucy prompted. She understood. She could hear the underlying threat that had yet to be discovered. Apparently, no one else caught it. Sucks for them.

"That Onibus wasn't my true target. What we want to achieve is so much greater." It was painfully clear that this was going to turn into a monologue that no one is really going to listen to.

"It has something to do with Clover, doesn't it?" Lucy asked cutting off his speech.

" –What?" A bewildered look ran across his face before he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Those Fairy Flies would not ruin his speech. His long-winded speech.

"I won't divulge any information to-"

"So... what is this?" The blond interrupted again.

"Stop that!" Erigor yelled. Stop what, he never told them. However, even if he had, it didn't mean that she would listen to him.

"Can we skip to the part where you tell us what you've trapped us in so we can get on with our lives?" The uninterested tone completely caught the wind mage off guard and he almost broke the concentration he was using for his levitation.

"Uh..." Erigor really didn't have much else to say as this whole exchange was doing something odd to his brain. The only things that really didn't concern him were the redhead and the navy haired teen who was in the back glaring at him. He felt uneasy as he looked at the pinkette and something else entirely when looking at the blond. Pink and blond. Who knows that they would be so perfect for each other? He was the muscle and sometimes possibly the brain but she was equally as dangerous in both aspects if left unchecked. Not that he or anyone else knew that. Erigor and others in the past and present never took their eyes off of Chaos and with this wild card, that would be a very big mistake.

"Get on with it, already. You haven't got all day and we need to get out of here!" she shouted. This is was not going according to plan at all. So should he give in or not? Did she say that Erigor hadn't got all day? Why would she yell that to him? Technically it was true but what did that have to do with anything? Maybe he should get on with it but it wasn't like his prey was going anywhere. Or at least anywhere important that could mess with his plans in any way.

"This is my wind wall. It is completely indestructible and while you were busy chasing my men, I had completely enclosed the entire train station within it. Have fun getting out!" Really? That was the statement that he left them with? Lame. Quickly leaving before the blond could retaliate, much to her annoyance, the mages of Fairy Tail were left to their own devices. Finally.

 **So, whatcha think? It isn't much different yet so it is probably the same information you already know. Mostly. There are some differences but not that many. Yet. I will edit this chapter eventually but I've only finished up to chapter 6. However, only edits up to chapter 4 have been posted so far. Oh well, until next time.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite, Review**

 **~Edited 2/19/2018**

 **~Peace Out!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Good morning my faithful followers. How are you today? I hope better since its time for the next chapter of Dragon Scales. FIrst of all, I can't believe your guys' reaction to my question! There were SO many! It was great! I definitely approve and appreciate it. I also hope that it continues. So, in this chapter you might notice the italicized dialogue the follows Natsu around as well in the chapters that I have recently edited. I plan to add those to the rest of the chapters that haven't been recently edited and I will vaguely touch on it in the next chapter. It is simply step one in making Natsu less flat. Also, as for the future plot... you'll have to wait and see. I have some very exciting stuff planned.**

 **For the flashbacks, it all depend on Natsu how he decides to respond. BTW, I looked up Pisces's weakness, and it is only water when they are in their human form. It not the same for when they are in their fish form. Lyonsgirl, that is an awesome idea and I plan on using but I won't tell you when. BTW, last chapter Natsu meant that Lucy can't get lost in her memories when around other people. It shows a weakness in her mind that he doesn't want anyone to know about. So, with Erza and Gray, the reason that they allow Lucy to use her dark side so freely is mostly since they don't know the consequences of their actions should they restrict her in any way. That and the fact that they really don't know what to do about her dark side. It isn't like they had that much experience in dealing with that sort of thing.**

 **So, that does it for the questions. Not much more needs to be said. So, onto the story! Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **~Chapter 15~**

So, here is the situation. First, there was being forced to attend this ridiculous mission that started with defeating a dark Guild. A dark guild which a certain redhead claimed she couldn't take care of herself. Which is total crap and she really just wanted to see Chaos and his new partner and action. Then, the Dragon Slayer and the Celestial mage were thrown oh so nicely off a train and practically defeated the same dark Guild, the one redhead claimed were too large in number, minutes later. After that, they chased a man down several creepy hallways, only to be murdered in a storage room only minutes after the rest of the group showed up. Talk about convenient. Then, came the discovery that the train station wasn't the real target before the entire group was thrown for a loop when the next realization hit. They were trapped on the wrong side of a wind and they had no way of getting out without being torn to pieces. And with that, we are caught up as they realize that they currently doomed if they couldn't think of a new plan. So here they were, four mages (two of which were grumpy and the other two were exhausted) and an exceed, with no good company, no plan, and no escape.

"So, what now? Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?" When the only blond of the group spoke up, a light bulb turned on in the only mind who could help at the moment.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Happy shouted as he raised his hand, waiting to be called on. Where did that even come from? Who taught him that?

"What is it, Happy?" Lucy asked.

"I just remembered something. Remember what we went to that creep Everlue's house?" Happy started as he began to dig around in his small green backpack.

"Yeah, how could I forget?" The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. What was this cat getting at?

"Remember the gorilla lady?" When she made the "uh huh" noise of agreement, the small feline finally found the object he was looking for.

"She told me to give you this!" the blue feline exclaimed as he held a smallish gold key in the air above his head.

"Is that...?" The irritation what was slowly filling her body had hardly taken a second to evaporate as happiness took its place. She couldn't believe it. She had another gold key she-

Wait a minute! Did Happy mean to tell her that he had a gold key in his possession since Everlue's mansion? How could he not tell her after all this time that he had a gold key?! The spirit totally could have helped her earlier! However, with as much anger as she felt bubbling in her veins, there wasn't time for that. They had to get out of this unnatural wind prison. It was now or never and there was no way she was about to spend her forever with a bunch of jealous Fairy Tail mages.

"Open! Gate of the Maidan! Virgo!" Ordinarily, she wouldn't yell but considering the fact that the wind made it hard to hear anything and she wanted to show off, she did anyway. She couldn't care less that she wasn't the strongest. However, none of them were able to do anything at this point. She held the key to their escape, literally, and this was the first real proof, that she knew of, that displayed to everyone she wasn't completely useless. A poof of smoke and a doorbell ring later, a slim girl about Lucy's height with short pink hair and blue eyes stood before them. She wore black maid outfit with a white apron and black shackles hanging from her wrists. Which at the moment was completely weird to everyone in the area.

"Yes? What can I help you with, master?" Virgo asked staring at Lucy. Erza and Gray sweatdropped while Happy looked at Virgo with mild interest. Natsu really couldn't care less.

"Don't call me master," was Lucy's immediate answer.

"What about Queen?"

"No."

"Empress?"

"No," Lucy said Crossing her arms over her chest. For some reason, the other mages didn't notice the annoyance that had crept into the being of our favorite celestial mage. The question was, where had this irritation sprung up from?

"Duchess?"

"No," she snapped with a look that was anything but friendly. It was such a shame that the spirit, the exceed, and the dragon were the only ones that picked up on it.

"Princess?"

"You know what? Fine. I'll allow it." Casting a quick glance at his blond, almost mother type person, the small feline could see the chaos that still lined her personality. Although, the obvious indicator was mostly the fact the usually pink guild stamp was still a graying black color. There was also the fact that Happy had actually figured that trick earlier and still refused to tell anyone about it. It was quite interesting that no one else seemed to notice it. Not even the almost all knowing Chaos Dragon who seemed to figure out some of her things before anyone else. There was the small detail of how she seemed to understand him better than he understood her, which was rare all by itself, and almost unheard of all together. That aside, it should be clear by now that the small, blue, flying feline is a lot more than what he seems or even what he makes himself out to be. Now, some actually understand this fact considering how he usually only hangs out with a human hating dragon slayer. What they don't realize is how much he actually knows as compared to the information that he only lets on that he knows. It doesn't even occur to them just how much he knows, absorbs, and stores for a later date. Even his best friend can't keep up anymore. Though it seems unlikely one must also remember that when Happy is at the guild that he actually interacts with the people as opposed to the dragon who only sits and watches from his high vantage point. That being said, Happy watched as the gray had yet to fade from Lucy's hand.

"What do you need, Princess?" the blond opened her mouth to answer but Happy cut her off. He did have an image to maintain. That and he actually wanted to know.

"How come you look like this? Why are you gorilla shaped?"

"Happy!" Erza hissed. "Where are your manners?!" She made a move towards him when a dark blue, almost black, spike shot up from the ground and applied pressure to her throat. She froze as Happy only shrugged and turned back to the spirit. Virgo just smiled and answered the question. It wasn't like she was offended or anything. She was expecting this question.

"I appear in the form that my master prefers. Would you prefer this form?" In an instant the small, thin body she possessed widened and grew several feet in height. Her short pink hair moved into two longer pigtails above her now ugly face. Her large body bulging with fat or muscle with the maid outfit stretched over it. Happy, Erza, and Gray all shrieked at the sudden transformation while Natsu took a single step back and growled as low as he could manage. He wasn't actually sure what caused this reaction but he couldn't stop it. Lucy, who was somehow expecting this and the only one who noticed, laid hand on the angry dragon's chest and readdressed the spirit

"No thank you, I prefer this form." When Virgo switched forms once more, she re-asked her question. After all, she had been called out for a reason.

"What would you like me to do, Princess?"

"Could you dig a hole to help us escape? We are kind of trapped within this wind wall. Oh, and could you make it large enough for his wings?" Casting his spell, Natsu's wings appeared in a flourish and the spirit nodded.

"Certainly, Princess." She gave a small bow before disappearing into the ground. Not having much to do at the moment, they all kind of stood around waiting for Virgo to get back. They didn't have to wait long before the spirit to reappear out of their escape.

"Punishment, Princess?"

"What?"

"Do you wish to give me punishment, Princess?" she asked again.

"Um... no, Virgo. No punishment," the blonde said with a wave of her hands.

"Very well. I can't wait to make a contract with you, Princess."

"Soon, Virgo. Soon." The pink haired spirit simply gave another bow before disappearing in small golden sparkles.

"Alright, everyone. We've got an evil mage to stop and people to save. Let's go!" the blond shouted. Only Erza and Gray chorused their excitement as the Chaos Dragon wrapped an arm around his partner. She didn't even resist, instead opting to giggle and nuzzle her face against his neck. Without even realizing it, Natsu nudged her head back just before he took off. It really was become a pain in the ass to have his instincts run faster than his mind while dealing with this girl. With any other matter, they could run wild as much as they wanted but there was a whole other section that he really didn't want to deal with.

Flying as high as the ceiling would allow, the dragon slayer hovered in the air before diving down into the spirit made hole. With Happy flying after them, Gray and Erza were left to their own measures of escape. Switching to one of her other armors with wings, Titania flew after them in hopes of catching up. Unfortunately for Gray, he wasn't all that sure if he could make ice wings that would actually fly. As a matter of fact, he never even thought about it until now. That, and he was more of an on-the-ground kind of mage. This resulted in Gray creating a slide to follow everyone. Keeping perfect balance upon his own ice, the navy haired teen only ended up disappointed when he came out the other side.

Upon exit, he found that most everyone had all but left him, once again leaving him with Erza. It wouldn't end, would it? Those three would always be together, leaving everyone else out in the cold. No pun intended. Erza didn't feel all that different. She knew that with Chaos in the way that she would never get close to Lucy. Within Chaos's own ranking, Lucy would always be on a higher level than her. However, with the way the relationship was growing, it wouldn't be long before personal ranking became public ranking. Soon, regardless of the obvious difference in magic power levels, everyone saw that the blonde was more important. To Erza, it really didn't matter all that much. That she knew of. The redhead had accepted a long time ago that Chaos was more powerful than she was. She also took into account that it took a special kind of power to get some type of control over Chaos. The very same Chaos who was capable of destroying towns without a moment's notice, who could pulverize any enemy with no remorse or even care so little for anything that it seems he has no emotions at all. What did it take to get to that level? How far was too much? Was there any returning after someone passed that point? She knew no answers and it was only leading to more questions. When would it end?

 **XXX**

Air, stars, and skies were among Lucy's favorite things. Chaos was right up there as well, along with fire, mischief, and animals. Now, some might say that those first two facts a completely random and have no place here. However, what more is when surrounded by half of her favorite things? Air rushed passed Lucy's face as she and Natsu soared through the air, indent on catching the dark mage who stood to terrorize an entire city... To Lucy's knowledge. She wasn't really aware of the whole story yet. The sky was wrapped around the blonde celestial mage and the stars glittered dimly at her back. Lucy knew that even she couldn't see the stars, they were still twinkling above her. She felt safe and secure, ironically, in the arms of a man who had everyone thinking that he would be their murderer. No one felt safe around Chaos the Black Dragon. He was the Destroyer of people, Bringer of Chaos, Bearer of all things evil. Why would anyone want to get involved with him?

Unless you're crazy. In which case, some had that very thought about Lucy. She had to be some type of crazy to even get involved with him. Which was also true about most Fairy Tail mages. Why else would you intentionally antagonize someone who could very easily rip out someone's heart and squish it in his hand? It was pure convenience for Lucy that she had no idea who he was when she met him. After that, it was merely curiosity that he kept her around and close. Or at least, that's what he told himself. He couldn't afford to let himself believe any other reason. It very well could lead him down a dangerous path. Sure, he may seem "all about" danger but that wasn't the case. Not entirely at least. He didn't just throw himself into any danger that he came across. Something like that is completely ridiculous and a complete waste of time. He preferred to wait until it came to him before disposing of it quickly. However, this was a very different type of danger. He had no idea what would happen if he got too involved, if he allowed these odd feelings into his life, if he got too close to this blonde female. He had yet to call her or any other person in his life by their actual name for that matter and intended to keep it that way. The day he called her by name would mark the day that their relationship had shifted. Still unsure if it was a good or bad thing, Natsu instead decided to focus on the wind mage who had just entered his sight.

The chaos dragon moved to open his mouth but the blonde beat him to it. Flicking out her wrist, the ever familiar black whip shot forward and cracked loudly against the air near the wind mage. They weren't quite close enough so the whip cracked just short of him, but it was enough for him to momentarily lose focus. In that moment, Natsu put on a burst of speed and Lucy sent her whip back towards him. This time it wrapped tightly around Erigor and with a jerk of her arm sent the dark mage to the ground. Unable to catch himself in time, Erigor crashed to the ground below causing a large crater around him. The two mages left flying, landed softly and looked around. Apparently, they had stopped Erigor on a train track that stretched from one side of a huge canyon to the other. No wonder this was the only train that went into Clover. Who would be dumb enough to even try something like that? How did they manage to even get over there in the first place? No matter. It wasn't really that important as Erigor turned to glare at Natsu and Lucy. He couldn't help but wonder how they caught up to him so quickly. However, he wouldn't care to find out if he was going to get rid of them anyway. Missing the attack that Erigor sent at them with ease, Natsu sent his own attack in retaliation. The dark blue tendrils wrapped around their target and throwing him into the air before letting him fall to the train tracks below. Small dust particles fell from the bridge upon impact falling into the huge chasm that surrounded them. Why were humans to freaking lazy to build more than one bridge to the landlocked town that was encircled by a chasm that was too wide and too deep for humans to cross? Idiots. Why would they even build a town over there anyways?

It didn't really matter at this point as how Erigor was now seething in anger. How dare they try to interfere with his plans? Don't they know anything about successful evil schemes? Either way, it didn't seem like either were really paying attention to him. If it weren't for the fact that the infamous Chaos Dragon hardly ever pays attention before a battle. Then, there was the whole interaction between these two Fairy Flies. Chaos stood, straight or slouching he couldn't tell, which some blonde girl in his personal space. She kept her touching to a minimum but she was constantly moving, as if she was a shadow moving by the will of the wind. That, or as if she was a predator, stalking and examining her prey. Which, was completely wrong and idiotic since if anyone was the predator it would be the violent chaos dragon. The ever deadly, always silent, absolutely vicious, completely evil chaos dragon slayer of Fairy Tail. Freaking Fairy Tail. The only thing that was slightly off was the fact this random blonde girl was with him. The only sidekick that Chaos had ever been known for having was that blue colored cat, not a hot chick. Who was this man who walked and talked like Chaos?

Although, this evil man did have a point. This man had pretty much ripped apart anyone who tried to follow him anywhere. Then, all of a sudden he's got this girl who follows him everywhere. A girl who seems to have more personal problems than she's worth. But that just depends on your perspective. Where the world stood it seemed like a black-and-white situation. They are all too willing to brand anyone they see is different, regardless of the consequences. All they see is a cruel man who bounces from one action to the next faster than a bouncy ball. As if they knew what a bouncy ball was. He was nothing like a bouncy ball. They don't care to dig a little deeper. To get to the man below the surface. All they care about is the monster on the outside who lives and breathes with them.

"What's wrong, Chaos? Too distracted by your girl to focus on me?" The wind mage spat. The Chaos Dragon growled at the notion.

" _Don't ever let anyone get the upper hand. Not even in their mind. Leave no room for any argument regardless of how you accomplish it. Distractions are not an option and must you take care of them before they are used against you."_

"Chaos Dragon's claw." There was only one oxford colored tendril and instead of launching for their enemy, it made its way towards the distraction. The blonde barely had enough time to screech, let alone blink, before long, sharp talons dug deep into the Earth around her. She spun in the circle, looking for a way out, but found that she was boxed in on every side. And the talons that formed the bars were placed close enough together that she couldn't squeeze through them. But that wasn't even the worst part. At the snap of the Chaos Dragon's fingers, a snake-like shadow dropped from the ceiling of the prison and wound itself around her leg. She stared at it, not knowing it's motive but knowing that she had no way of stopping it. She watched as it divided just as it got to her waist. Then, they circled around her like a belt before they each slid down one of her legs, something gold in the mouth of one and something silver in the mouth of the other. No. It can't be.

"No!" she screamed as she slammed her body against the bars. "No! You can't do this!" It was unclear if she was referring to being caged or having her keys and whip taken away but either way, she was very upset. Both snakes now crawled up the body of their master, one with the black pouch of gold and silver keys sitting smugly inside its mouth and the other held a longish silver cylinder.

"Stop this! You can't do this to me!" Tears burned at the corners of her eyes as they flowed down her cheeks. How could he take her out so early? She had so much to offer. Why this? Why now? Why? The Chaos Dragon simply ignored her shouts and pleas as he clipped the girl's belongings onto his belt.

" _Let no man's cries or pleas ever sway your decision making. Crying and pleading by for the week, and unreasonable anger can lead to mistakes. Chaos Dragons don't make mistakes."_

"Ready to be defeated now, Chaos? After all, that weak Fairy Fly is no longer able to stop or interrupt our battle. Strom Shred!" Erigor summoned a seal in front of his body, long, flat, curved bits of wind shot forward from the seal with the sound of an automatic rifle accompanying it. How cute.

"Chaos Dragon's Shield." Crossing his arms in front of his body, the unfamiliar (to the blonde at least) black Gladiator Shield appeared to block the projectiles from hitting the Slayer's body. It was beautiful the way the intricate electric blue designs curled around the slick black surface. The arched projectiles pounded relentlessly against the shield and the Chaos Dragon let out a feral snarl.

" _Never let anyone get the upper hand no matter what happens. Divide your magic if you have to. Don't be afraid to use multiple spells at once. Just make sure you don't overdo it. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."_

"Chaos Dragon's Chaos Blast," the Chaos Dragon ground out. It had been a while since he had to use multiple spells at once and it was already taking a toll on his body. One could not use multiple spells at once with a crap ton of practice. So, behind the shield, the ancient blue and black seal appeared and from it the mahogany orbs of magic shot towards his opponent. Some were aiming at the ground around Erigor's body while others were targeting his torso and all were exploding on impact. This sudden onslaught of offensive magic caught the wind mage off guard and sent him staggering back a few feet, dropping his own spell in the process. The Chaos Dragon held his own magic for a few seconds longer before he too put an end to it. He had barely paused before a loud war-cry split the air. From the dust cloud, the angry wind mage sprang forward with his scythe drawn.

"Chaos Dragon's Blade." The Shadows around him bent and stretched as quickly as they could before racing up the caster's body and forming an unfamiliar shape in both his hands. It struck Natsu as odd how the wind mage chose to use close combat when he still had space to cast another spell. He only had a second to think about it he really had time to dwell on it as Erigor was approaching fast. With another yell, the wind mage slammed his scythe down at the Chaos Dragon. Natsu only held up his blades in an X as a defense. The metal of the three blades clanged loudly in the air as they met, making all grit their teeth at the sound. Erigor tried to push his enemy back only to find that it was like pushing against a boulder. It was when the boulder began pushing back that the wind mage retracted and move to swing his weapon at the only person who stood in the way of his current plan.

Natsu didn't miss a beat as he shifted his weight to match the movements of his opponent. Meanwhile, in the background, our favorite blonde was facing problems of her own. Inner turmoil had struck once more. Now, see if you can find where it started. Lucy had stared as the snakes of shadow had taken her only method of fighting and escape and had delivered them to a man who was acting more heartless than she'd ever seen him act towards her. And staring was after her screaming and yelling and almost crying for him to "stop this" and "you can't do this." It didn't work and it seemed as if he hadn't heard her. Or he just didn't care enough to even acknowledge her. From experience, she knew that he had definitely heard her but chose to ignore her anyway. She had already figured out the perks of his senses but didn't really know to what extent. The Celestial mage could only watch as these two men battled against each other, one trying to crush the other. Though, at the beginning, it wasn't hard to see who was winning. However, she watched as the Chaos Dragon continuously divided his magic and how hard he fought to maintain those spells. Granted, he only cast three so far. She watched the battle and after the fourth spell, she began to look for a way out of her cage.

"Chaos Dragon's Roar." She didn't need to look to know how Natsu took a deep breath before releasing a powerful beam of mahogany fire with black swirls towards Erigor. As it so happened, she was already looking and turned back just as a fire hit him square in the chest. It was then that she realized just how big her oxford prison was. It was about five regular steps in every direction. Not any of that heel-to-toe crap. Anyway, it may not seem that small but wasn't all that large either. And so far, she tried everything short of throwing her body against the bars.

" _Ha! Pathetic! You can't even think your way out of here!"_ Lucy froze as a foreign voice rain throughout her mind.

" _What makes you think you are worthy enough to be his partner?_ No. It... It wasn't possible. What was going on?

" _Lucy! Your tutors have informed me that you have been distracted during your studies. This will not be tolerated! No daughter of mine is to be labeled as an airhead. Women of your bloodline are to be intelligent but mindful of their place! If you do not improve then I will not respond as nicely."_ The voice of her never satisfied father then took over her thoughts, leaving no room for anything else. The now 18-year-old collapsed to her knees as the flashback overtook her. She remembered as her problems had started after lunch. She was playing with her dolls when one of her father's guards burst into her room, ripped the doll from her hand and threw it against the wall. As a result, the head popped off and Lucy could only cry as the guard's fat fingers curled around her small arm and dragged her from the room, leaving the decapitated doll to fend for itself.

The guard dragged her through the halls of the mansion and upon reaching her father's office, threw her through the doors. Her small fingers pushed open the doors but it didn't stop her from collapsing to her hands and knees when she didn't regain her footing. Her father didn't bat an eye at his crying daughter instead berated her for her lack of attention during her studies. It was here that the guard took her her way once more. She was at the age of 10 or 11 and this was where she received a harsher beating then she could previously remember. She couldn't remember many of the details but she vaguely remembered healing faster and how for the beating she received, the injuries she sustained should have been worse. It was soon after that when those odd gaps of her missing memories appeared. Which she still couldn't remember. Anyway, the fact remains that her life got substantially worse after that.

"Chaos Dragon's Secret Art: Chaos Supernova." She knew that she missed what Erigor's attack was and even from here she could hear that Natsu's voice was muffled. Maybe it was because she wasn't really paying attention. Maybe it was because she was still locked in her own mind. Whatever the reason was, she was hardly aware of everything around her. She didn't watch as Natsu went into his X formation or how small wisps of dark red magic closed around their caster to create a small dome. She couldn't see how when the dome exploded it created an area of low pressure to suck away the air currents of Erigor's spells. It left the wind mage powerless and in that one second of wondering, "how the hell was this possible?", the Dragon took another chance.

"Chaos Dragon's Roar." With his wings flapping behind him, Natsu pulled his fists to his mouth and blew air out to the other side. Once more his mahogany colored fire came forward and hit the wind mage square in the chest and sent him flying to the other side of the chasm. Erigor groaned as he hit the dirt, almost but not yet unconscious. So, floating over to the wind mage, Natsu decided on his interrogation tactic.

"Chaos Dragon's Claw." Still keeping the cage and his partner, another clawed tendril slammed down into the ground around Erigor. The sharp talons dug harshly into the dirt around his head before pressure bloomed from his chest. Take a deep breath was getting harder and harder to do as the pressure of his body continued to increase.

"Give me Lullaby," the dragon growled, his fangs gleaming in the setting sun.

"I... don't... h-have... it," Erigor gasped. His arms were pinned to his side so clawing at the talons that were choking him wasn't even an option. All he could do was lay on the hard ground, open and close his mouth, and gasp like a dead fish.

"What do you mean you don't have it?" Natsu spat. Oh, this man was in for a world of hurt if the words he said were true. So he wasted this much energy for nothing? He caged his chaos supply for nothing? He risked his Blondie's sanity... FOR NOTHING!? How was he possibly tricked into this?!

" _Rash decisions lead to rash actions. And rash actions are made to be regretted later and are only made by a fool. My son is no fool. Foolish actions are a part of life and it is guaranteed that you will make them. Never let any human besides your mate see you do something foolish. If you make a foolish decision, do everything you can to hide your tracks."_ Red hot anger shot through the Chaos Dragons veins as he glared at his opponent. Hatred crept into every bone in his body and it continued to make his glare colder and angrier by the second, which in turn made Erigor grow paler and paler.

"Chaos Dragon's Frozen Stream." This time a single stream of frozen oxford colored water flowed towards the wind mage. It circled him and in an instant, it froze causing long spikes to appear and dig into Erigor's skin. Natsu had moved most of the spikes to apply pressure to his major arteries, not that the wind mage knew that. However, his next movement would give him most of what he wanted.

"I wonder how important your eyes are to you," Natsu mused cruelly as the sharp spikes slowly approached the delicate, squishy, unprotected, surface of his enemy's eyeball. And as cruel as it was, it got the job done.

"No! N-No! No, please! I-I promise! I-I-I don't h-have it!" he cried.

"How do you possibly not have it?" Natsu growled as the icicle spikes continued to slowly inch towards his enemy's eyes. "I bet it is still on your person." The icicles inched ever closer and at the last possible second, the truth began spilling out of Erigor's mouth.

"Fine! Fine! I have it! Check me!" After pulling out the creepy three eyed flute with a tree root end, the Chaos Dragon ground out,

"And what were your plans for a disgusting looking flute?"

"I-It's not disgusting!" Erigor protested. Instead of responding, Natsu simply pushed the slightly retracted spikes forward to get his answer.

"We were targeting the guild master in Clover, okay? They're all gathering for a meeting." Choosing not to say another word, the pink haired dragon instead lit his closed fist up with magic and hit the blubbering mess below him square in the head. The wind mage was knocked out cold and the second he was, Natsu dropped the magic around him. The ice broke, the chaos faded, everything was gone. All that was left was a panting, almost exhausted dragon, a weeping, almost broken summoner, and an unconscious, almost dead wind controller. Weird.

Natsu's body swayed the slightest bit as he both made his way to his partner and used his magic to bring her closer. Which didn't really take that long since his magic was moving faster than he was. When she reached him, two of the bars melted to the ground to allow him entry. The sight before him set his blood on boil, which really didn't help him at the moment. The blonde sat leaned up against the shadow bars, curled into a tight ball, muttering to herself. Why had he let this happen? Now, some would say that this is a normal concern for a person who just got locked up by her friend/partner. But, you misunderstand. Rather than seeing her for what she is, he sees her as an energy source. She produced chaos in a manner that he's never seen. The problem was, the chaos she gave off now, was tainted by the turmoil inside her. And that was a very not okay thing. Especially since he was currently running low on energy. Unfortunately for him, he hardly knew how to give comfort in a situation such as this. All he could do was allow her to touch him as they went to Clover.

"Chaos Dragon's Wings." It was irritating that there was still more to do.

 **It occured to me that before this point, he hardly saw Natsu actually use his magic. There was a few chapters were he used it but not enough to fit my liking. It also leads into so pretty amazing stuff for the next chapter. Which I'm super exited for. Also, did you notice that for the first time, he actually is low on magic? 16 chapters in and he hasn't ever been low on energy before now. He's had a surplus of magic but that was about it. I can't believe that we are so close to 6,500 words. It isn't quite that many, but close enough. Don't forget to leave a review. I live off of them. Till next time.**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Favorite, Follow, Review**

 **~Peace out!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Good Morning my faithful followers. It's a beautiful day, isn't it? Well, guess what? A new chapter has come and hopefully brightened your day. So, as for questions, there wasn't a whole lot that I can answer in these A/Ns. Oh well. I did get some suggestions that I really love and will eventually implamate. It's too bad that I can't tell you right now. There was one question that I can answer. I can confidently say that Lucy is not insane. And that has a lot to do with how she was raised but we will get to that later.**

 **As for this capter, I love how it turned out. Up until this point there is one character that we have almost no knowlege on. I'm sure you know who it is. This chapter is to answer some question that haven't been asked or answered. Don't forget to tell me what you think.**

 **One last thing. Since there was not a whole lot of new followers last chapter, I will be changing directions. Instead, if the reveiw count ends in a 5 or 0 then the next chapter will be posted. You know, once the chapter is written. If that isn't better than we'll switch back but lets see how it goes. Now, onto the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Fairy Tail isn't mine.**

 **~Chapter 16~**

Tainted magic posed a huge problem for our favorite chaos dragon. As did magic depletion. Several years prior Natsu had come to discover the true nature of his obsidian necklace. Instead of having its sole purpose being decorational, it had been created as a container. It was common knowledge The any dragon slayer could eat their own element to replenish their magic and energy. A second lesser known fact was that in order to eat your element it had to be an external source. Otherwise, it felt like cannibalism... to the Slayers at least. Which was definitely a problem. But, here lies Natsu's problem. Chaos isn't a natural element that he can just lean back and absorb. Sure he could pull it from the air but he needed humans for that. Not to mention the fact that Happy was no longer a viable source. After spending so many years together, they had simply gotten used to each other. That couldn't be said about anyone else, and it was such a rare thing that it probably wouldn't happen again.

So then, what about when Natsu ran out of magic when there were no people around? Trick question. He didn't run out of magic. He didn't divide his magic constantly, he didn't use more magic than necessary, he didn't, he didn't, he didn't. He didn't do so many things that when he actually did do something, it had a worse effect than it should. Like dividing his magic over and over, for instance. It really needed a lot of focus and a lot of magic. In his younger years at the guild, (after discovering the necklaces alternative purpose) he had managed to figure out how to absorb the chaos it carried. The problem was if the magic wasn't continual used, like once or twice every few months, it would come out a little bit... stale. Or in other words... Tainted. However, tainted magic wasn't useless magic. Sure, he couldn't eat it, but he could definitely use it for other things. His favorite way was to spin it into a spell he didn't have the energy to make. Not to mention the fact that he only had one chance to mold the magic from the necklace otherwise he would have to wait until it recharged. How convenient was that? However, tainted magic seemed to be all around him. And it was annoying as shit. Tainted magic may not be useless but it certainly wasn't helpful.

There was only one thing that made this whole situation worse. The human that he had accepted to be one of his partners with now producing tainted chaos. And that definitely wasn't acceptable. Unfortunately, he currently had no control over the matter. She was too far gone within her memories and the best remedy he could think of was to shake her out of her thoughts. Sure that seemed a little... rude... but the Chaos Dragons couldn't care less. He didn't care she was quiet. He didn't care that she didn't move. However, he did care that her inner turmoil was interfering with his plans. He did care that the chaos she was making wasn't perfect. Imperfect magic left room for mistakes and...

" _Stupid mistakes are unacceptable. Every person makes mistakes but small and stupid mistakes will not be tolerated."_ These words pounded against his skull as his eyes drifted to the girl. Maybe it was a mistake to allow this girl to go on this mission. Maybe he shouldn't have let her get so close. Maybe it was a mistake to interact with her in the first place. After all, not much good had to come from her being around. First of all, she was very touchy from the very first moment they met. How was that not an indicator that she was trouble? Then there was the uproar that she had caused upon her arrival at the guild. Did she really have to make that huge of a scene? Sure he could understand the need to assert dominance but did it really have to be so soon? Talk about a drama queen. And what about the whole proving herself to him? Was that necessary? Why was it important for her to be close to him? And what about the whole Hokabe incident? Humans didn't scare her but creatures did? What a wimp. Not to mention the flashbacks. Who could tell if they even real or not? And yes, he already figured out that there are "flashbacks". You had to be truly an oblivious idiot to not see the signs. That, plus the fact that for some odd reason he could never let outside people see her episodes. Which could also be an indicator that something was off. Why the hell would he be so concerned about what the world thought of her when the only people who mattered were him and happy? Then there was the final point. Why the hell did he care that she was forced to go on a mission that she didn't want, with people she didn't like, without inviting him? Why did he decide to accompany this group on their quest? Why did he feel the need, or urge, or whatever, to help her when she failed. What was WRONG with him?!

He once more looked down at the girl who now had somehow managed to bury herself in his clothing. How the hell did THAT happen? How did she manage to wrap his scarf around her neck without him feeling it? It didn't help matters that due to convenience, he had shifted her body to a vertical position against his side. Surely there had to be an additional reason as to why her body had shifted into his jacket... ish... or how her legs were twined around his, or how her fingers were tangled in his hair. Granted, she wasn't completely "buried" in his clothing, but it felt like she was. That has to count for something... right? Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to worry about these insignificant little details. Right now, he had to acknowledge the scenery around him. He didn't worry or get concerned about people or backgrounds and because of it, he lived a life without a lot of outside stress. Which was very convenient for him. As was everything else. Wasn't he lucky?

Ever noticed the amount of convenience that surrounded the life of our cold-hearted, secret, solitary, chaos bringing, dragon slayer. After years, of learning an ancient magic, and living alone in a forest with a dragon, he is attacked out of nowhere. Now, he doesn't remember all the details or most of them for that matter. He remembers how when he resisted them and showed them the slightest bit of magical ability, they attacked. Now, if any of you are thinking that Acnologia set up this fight, you'd be dead wrong. Emphasis on _dead_. That dragon would have killed anyone who would have even come near his son with ill intent. It was pure convenience that those people stumbled across him _when_ his father wasn't home.

Even before that the only reason he survived the destruction of his village was his knack for fire and a love of dragons. Then what about his entrance and acceptance to Fairy Tail? He was dropped off at the strongest guild in Fiore so that he could one day surpass all those above him. It probably wasn't going to happen but it was nice to have goals. He could still remember the very first time he had woken up without his father. It had been absolutely the worst day of his life and he _freaked_. After that, it was several weeks of vigorous training so the freakout wouldn't happen again. That first day had been worse than when he had lost his original family. Sure his father murdered the entire village but they were weaklings anyway. His father had told him the story of his village as soon as he was old enough to understand the reason why. Weak humans didn't deserve to remain living in the presence of someone who they didn't even try to defend against. They simply let it happen. How pitiful.

Strength comes in many different forms and even if someone is weak physically, it can easily be redeemed by their spirit and determination. Amidst the hardcore training that his father put him through, life lessons had been drilled into the mind of our favorite Chaos Dragon. When it came to humans, there were so many different kinds, on all sides of the spectrum. There were the pure-hearted ones who always did what was best for others, never doing anything just for themselves, and avoiding all means of corruption as much as they possibly could. Then there were the millions who fell into the gray areas. Some who tried to be pure, but mistakes kept them from their goal. There were people in the middle who really had no ties to either side and people further along who did anything the evil deeds but were swayed to the nicer side at times. Then there were the black, heartless souls who only cared about themselves, and followed through with every evil thought that passed through their mind. Going with this thought, many would say that the Chaos Dragon, at any age, was as black as they come and had no hope of changing. No matter what anyone did. However, that wasn't entirely true. At first, that was exactly how his life seemed to play out. He'd woken up in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, and his father nowhere in sight. He had been taught what horrible creatures humans were, but it was something else entirely seeing them first hand. Especially with what had happened with his very first encounter with a human.

As many could guess, the first thing that he saw upon waking was the dark brown wooden ceiling. That is until a blurry object blocked his view. He blinked, trying to focus on this thing that floated above him. The first thing that happened when his eyes focused on the blurry circle was the creature flying across the room as a result of the hard punch the child had given. At that moment, magic seals of many colors had surrounded him on all sides making sure that he didn't move a muscle. Now, what most don't know and would never come to know was the fact of how scared he was at that moment. Upon his face was a mask of anger, showing no one what a scared child he actually was. His father had warned him of what humans were capable of but, until now he hadn't realized how accurate his warnings were. As it were, all the adults who stood in this room each had their own magic trained on the small figure before them. Where they planning to use all of their magic against the small child just because he punched some guy was standing just inches above his face? Didn't they know what boundaries were? Wouldn't they have done the same thing if it was them on this bed? Where was their compassion?

Trick question. Humans had none. They weren't capable of it. Especially if there was something before them that they didn't understand. Humans always feared what they couldn't comprehend and every time it led to rash decisions that would be regretted later. This thought alone has sent fire to his veins as he glared at the mages around weren't worthy of his fear. They didn't deserve to know the fact that at first, he was more scared of them than they were of him. That was privileged information that he wasn't sure anyone would be able to get out of him. He may have been scared the moment he woke but that was in the past. Sure, that past was only a few minutes ago, but it's the thought that applies. None of them knew what he was capable of, or even of his home life was before he was dropped off at Fairy Tail, a name he would later find out. It was about this time when the man he punched earlier popped back up from his meeting with the wooden wall.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you guys doing?" he asked the adults who now occupied the boy's room.

"We're being prepared for if he decides to attack any of us," someone answered as they all shared looks with each other.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would he do that?" the short man asked as looked at them.

"Didn't he punch you, Master?" Now wasn't that just the question of the year?

"Of course he did. Any of you would have done the same if you were in this situation," the master countered. Many of the adults looked down in shame while others kept their seals aimed at the boy. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of place had his father left him in? Why here of all places?

"Now, the rest of you put down your magic. You're acting like foolish children. Which is really saying a lot considering that you are pointing your magic at a child. And an injured one at that. Have you no shame? I've been hit harder than this and I know that all of you have as well. No need to get into such a fuss from a punch to the face by a child."

"But master, he is the son of Acnologia. You know… the Black Dragon? Who knows what that vile dragon could've done to him." That insensitive comment was met with a force that threw the commentor into a wall. Again, all magic steals turned to him in retaliation.

"Children, please. Calm yourselves. We are not going to talk about Natsu's father anymore. Clearly, it's a sore and off-limits topic and from this point on, no one will mention it to anyone who doesn't already know. If Natsu so please just tell people then so be it. For now, we will let the child sleep and he will come down when he's ready." How nice it was for those people to avoid the topic of his father. But why was it a sore topic? And for who? Wasn't like it was a sore topic for him. He lived a relatively standard child. Well, as standard as living with a dragon could be. So it was after the avoidance of talking about his missing father that all the adults began to file slowly out of the room. The guild master was the only one who didn't move or say anything until the last person had left and closed the door behind them. Then, he turned back to the pink haired boy.

"Good evening, son. I'm Makarov Dreyar. You can call me Master Makarov, or Gramps. Whatever floats your boat. Now, I have two very important things I need to discuss with you before you leave. The first is a matter of where you will be staying. You can stay anywhere you like as long as it has a roof. And, you and I will be the only ones who know about it and where it is located."

"In the forest?" The boy asked sitting up on his bed.

"Are you sure that is where you want to live? I'm sure that you can stay with anyone within–"

"No," the boy answered cutting off the guild master.

"All right. The second matter is about you join a guild. I–"

"Do I have to?" He whined as he flopped back onto his pillow.

"Yes, your father left me with very specific instructions and I can't complete those if you are anywhere but here. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but it's not only for your safety but for the safety of Fairy Tail as well as the town."

"I knew it. You only care about yourself. You don't actually care about me. But whatever, I'll join your stupid guild. Just don't expect me to be happy about it or get along with anybody here," Natsu hissed harshly. Unfortunately, pain flared once again as he moved. Especially with multiple injuries covered by several layers of bandages covering most of the boy's skin. The boy let out a groan since only other person in the room was the master. What was the point in hiding something someone already knew? He was just glad that he was able to hide the pain that flared when he punched the master across the room. And a few other instances.

"I won't," the master replied as he left the room. For the master, he hoped that in this place surrounded by nice people that the dragon would learn to like people or to tolerate people at the very least. As for the Chaos Dragon, he hoped that he could have as little human contact as possible. It was a shame neither got what they hoped for. However, he was at, very least, glad that the next day the pair went into the forest to find the perfect place for his house and later his arena. In the days or weeks following, it was as quiet and peaceful as the Dragon Slayer had always wanted. Granted, most of these people were scared into silence but he didn't care. All that mattered was the fact that these people left him alone. And that's how it was. No one talked to him, no one bothered him, it was perfect. It was too bad that it didn't last long.

His whole perfect picture was ruined when that white-haired witch painted herself into his life. She tried to be everywhere he was, she often tried to defend him, come up with excuses for him, etc, etc, etc. It got to the point that he did things just to make him seem like a worse person. THen when she went to defend him, he would do the exact thing he was accused of. The only thing that mattered was getting her away from him. Now, many have been, and still are, wondering why it is that this white-haired changeling is so hated by our favorite Dragon Slayer. There was the typical hatred of people, happiness, and random annoyances that could possibly be the root or reason but none of those were what the culprit was.

When the young child had been exposed to people he had taken into account how each person could possibly affect his fate. Titania smelled of authority and law (even as a small child), She-demon smelled of candy and chaos (a scent to be wary of), and Encyclopedia had the scent of knowledge and leather (something that could be useful later). The thing was when smelling someone's character as opposed to someone's scent they were two completely different things. And he would know. Identifying someone's character took a lot of focus and a lot of concentration that he didn't always feel exerting. That, plus it took way longer than taking in someone's scent. A person's scent was natural and the only focus it required was to figure out whose scent belonged to who. Like for instance, the Ice Princess smelled of cold and jealousy while also smelling of ice and salt. Cold and ice are two separate things by the way. Cold makes the senses sting a little bit while ice smells almost like water but not exactly. Other than that, cold didn't really have a smell. So, while Chaos couldn't explain a person's natural scent or character scent, he could say that some scents repulsed him more than others. That being said, he could admit that he preferred cake and strawberries over ink and apples. So, with all this talk of smells and things, where does the She-demon's annoying little sister fall into all of this? Interesting question.

Off the very top of his head, he remembered that he could tell right away that something was off. He could actually smell the potential crazy that layered over her skin. It sizzled and crackled in his sensitive ears and seemed ready to explode over everything. It seemed to crawl over her skin, just barely skimming the surface never digging any deeper. But, why would it need to? It already made up her core, so why would it burrow its way into every cell? That was probably the reason she wasn't crazy in the beginning. It didn't need to fill her very soul if there was nothing to be crazy about. However, all that crazy hadn't drowned out the scent of understanding that was part of her character. Understanding and crazy. Definitely not the best combination, or one that should be put together. A little bit crazy was fine when it was alive over your skin, it became something you had to avoid. It didn't matter that no one else could see what he saw. Or hear what he heard. It didn't matter seeing the crazy move like electricity wasn't real. All that concerned him was the fact that the crazy drowned out vanilla and peaches that made up her natural scent.

Then there was the issue of when she approached him. She stirred a reaction from him and in that moment her crazy had sparked at all the anger that resided in all the guild members. Her crazy had awoken the rash, crazy, and angry part of everyone else she had in contact with. How was that even possible? It also seemed that the more she hung around someone, the bigger reaction they had. So wasn't it just great that when he decided he didn't want the crazy around him that it sparked everyone into action? He was just trying to protect himself yet everyone else was protecting the crazy. It was just short of amazing how she affected everyone so fast. That was the main reason why he acted that way towards her. Who knows what would happen if he let that crazy get to him.

Then came the girl. After many years of avoiding the crazy, something else came into his life. Coated in Stardust and spice came the understanding and playful chaos. Now there was a very clear difference between the She-demon's chaos and Blondie's chaos. With the She-demon, she had battled her chaos and only used it for when the situation called for it. It couldn't be poked, prodded, or provoked. It never did what it wanted to, or go where it pleased. And this was pretty much how everyone else was with their dark side. The young dragon had watched as Gramps taught the children how to cork their darkness and how to use it without fear of losing control. He, of course, was excluded but he still watched it happen. The leech was the only oddball considering how her crazy prevented her from fully corking her darkness. Which wasn't good for the Dragon Slayer. However, the opposite could be said for Blondie. The chaos inside her took almost as many forms as his own. It burned inside her core, it flowed through her veins, it sparked across her skin, and it was solid in her mind and heart. Of course, she didn't know it was there and that only made her chaos run that much smoother. The transitions were almost flawless, and it was based solely on interactions and situations. She flowed easily from one style to the next and none of it was fake. That kind of action and reaction wasn't something that could be faked.

Which brings something else to mind. Where did her unbridled chaos come from? He knew that Titania's came from that Tower thing, Ice Princess got his from losing his mentor, and so on. Everyone's dark side came from somewhere and she never talked about her past with anyone. No one really knew a thing about her. Himself included. No one knew about her past, or her name, or even her plans for the future. The only thing that anyone knew was that she was a celestial mage and she liked to hang around Chaos. And, looking back, there had to be some other reason as to why he was the one that she chose to spend her time with. Who in their right mind would want to risk their humanity for someone as evil as everyone claimed he was. Sure there were some "bad" things that never really bothered his conscience but it was unlikely that this fact was going to change. Even the original "rescue" seemed a little out of place. She could have left him with the "blood thirsty" women surrounding him. Who was she to think that he needed help? He could have flown out of danger. If he hadn't been pulled away, he could have caught Bora sooner and he wouldn't have been in this mess. He could have avoided the girl all together and he wouldn't have to worry about the leech's crazy just yet. It was clear that he would have to deal with it eventually, just not yet. He knew that Blondie sped up the process for the leech's crazy but even if she wasn't around, the crazy would have just found another means to escape. Why put it off when it was going to happen anyway? The only good thing that came from the rivalry of the girls was the fact that Blondie was stronger, faster, and smarter than the leech. She didn't need anyone's help, or pity, or empathy, or whatever, and she somehow managed to make her victories look like such an easy win. Blondie had either hardly used any magic or simply used her magic wisely. Whatever happened, it was interesting to see that she had won so thoroughly there wasn't any room to question it. There was nothing worse than questioning who won the battle. Though, it was clear from the beginning that the leech wasn't on the same level. Who knew she'd be beaten so badly?

Unfortunately, with as much as Blondie had gotten the leech off his back, it seemed like she put on more annoyances in her place. For example, previously the only people who bothered him were Titania, Ice Prick, and the leech. They would constantly challenge him to battles, or prod him about his life, and crap like that. They were the main so-called "bad" or "annoying" group that existed around him. The second, not so annoying, group were gladly a bit older and more mature than the kids closer to his age. Which put them on a level where they really didn't count as annoyances. Gramps, Pops, and Lightning Rod never really gave him any trouble, so thankfully he counted them as the "good" group or whatever. It was really only when he bothered him that they bothered him. Of course, this is excluding the necessary discussions that Gramps often talked with him about. Soon after joining the guild, after showing the other kids who was the alpha, he had tried his luck on Pops and Lightning Rod. Unfortunately, his luck had run out and it hadn't ended well for him. The one good thing that had happened from that fight was that no one had seen the battle or the outcome. Due to his injuries, he did have to stay home for a few days but that was about it for what anyone else knew. One should also acknowledge that this happened on two separate occasions since it was clear that he couldn't take on both Pops and Lighting Rod. Taking on both would have been completely ridiculous on his part, not to mention it was out of the question. It probably would have resulted in a lot more pain than he received. Plus, it was also obvious that at that point in time neither of the mages had used all of their power on him. Which was both great and frustrating at the same time. God. Curse these contradictions.

Anyway, with the leech gone, the rest of the guild had felt the need to take her place. Apparently, in the short time that Blondie had joined the guild, the members of grown quite fond of her. So much so that when she was in "danger" caused by him, they rushed to her "rescue" trying to "save" her. Yeah, that ended well. The infirmary had lots of visitors on those days. Blondie could ask anyone to do pretty much anything and they would do it for her. Why the hell would they do that? Like for the first day of her training, for example. She had asked the popsicle to intervene and he did so willingly. No hesitation. None. Nada. Zilch. He just jumped headfirst off the diving board into the dangerous waters below. And he wasn't the only one. She could literally walk up to anyone, ask them to try and distract him for as long as possible and they would drop everything to do her bidding. It was freaking crazy their level of determination. He could send them to the infirmary that minute and as soon as they were able to, they were right back to where they started. They would challenge him to fight once more and back to the infirmary they want. How stupid could these idiots be? What did that girl say to them that made them want to go against the Chaos Dragon?

If he didn't know better, he'd say that she cast a spell on the members of Fairy Tail. Like that was even a possibility. However, who was to say she hadn't? Trick question. Though most everyone doubted that she did. Most since, A) she didn't have the magical capabilities to pull off a spell like that. Mostly due to lack of magic power and the sheer number of people that occupied the guild. Not to mention the fact that not everyone was present all of the time. There was no possible way to complete something like that perfectly and have there be no side effects either the ones affected or not affected. B) The only time she would have the heart to pull off something like that was when she was near the Dragon Slayer. Otherwise, she would blow her cover or she was too high with happiness to even try. The other thing was that she would have to be in the center of the guild to cast it and there was no way that Natsu was going to be near that many happy people. Or other emotions people felt. He got bugged by them enough as it was. C) He already knew that she didn't cast the spell. Either Happy would've told him if one day she had tried something, or he would've heard it himself straight from her lips. It didn't matter who heard it or when. All that mattered was him knowing about it before it happened. He wasn't about to be cast on if he had anything to say about it. Not to mention if it only benefited the caster. Not an option. Especially if it was that stupid leech. All she cared about was herself even if she pretended to care about him. To this day, it was unclear why the leech chooses to be around him. Maybe there was an ultimate play in the works or some sinister plan. Whatever the reason, he wasn't about to be caught in the middle.

There was absolutely no way that he would allow himself to walk into her arms. Or anyone's for that matter. No one deserved to see that part of him. No one was authorized to see him at any other point besides his best. Well... no one except the exceed whom he raised since he was a hatchling. And even then, the Dragon Slayer never cried, so showed extreme emotion so that wasn't really an issue he had to deal with. The only major emotional pain that Natsu had ever encountered was when he realized that his father was gone. But that wasn't emotionally scarring either. All his father did to him was drop him off at an unfamiliar location because some evil strangers had happened across him during his daily training. After that, it was just anger and silence towards pretty much anyone he came across. There was the obvious exceptions of Happy, Gramps, and Pops who were basically the only family he had left. Occasionally the Spark Plug and he would talk but that was mostly just talking about strategies or important information that one had to get from one person to the other. For instance, when he told Natsu about how the leech was going to try and dig up any lost or existing information on Dragon Slayers. Can you imagine just what type of chaos could or would happen if that crazy got ahold of it? Now, if she could just get her crazy under control then it wouldn't have been that big of a problem. It was hoped by many that it was one of those things that either she would get worse before she got better. Well...that or she would grow out of it all together. One can imagine the types of reactions this idea got. It was hard enough when she was already 17 but what was worse was that many didn't see she had a problem. To almost everyone, they thought it was common knowledge that any angry outburst was because Chaos was an angry evil asshole and it was never the fault of their perfect princess, Leechy. It was annoying as hell to have no one else view her like that. That is until Blondie came along. He didn't know what she did to change the guild's opinion of the white-haired witch but he was content that she had. This guild was as stubborn as they were careless...or powerful. Whichever one the speaker preferred. Every mage in the guild left a path of destruction in their wake, some causing more damage than others. It was almost as if it was some unspoken rule of the Fairy Tail Guild. If you didn't cause some destruction everywhere you went, you weren't a Fairy Tail mage. Of course, there was always the assurance that they would try to keep their damages to a minimum but that was an expensive promise. That and damages were usually in a medium to high range. So there was that. Even at the Onibus train station they still caused some structural damage. Granted, none were caused by the Chaos Dragon. Even now, if Lullaby was in his possession, it didn't mean they were in the clear just yet. There was a lot that could happen between now and Clover. And Natsu Dragneel wasn't inclined to find out.

 **Tada! What do you think? I love it. Mostly since it turned out so well. I wasn't actually going to take it in this direction but this is how it turned out. And hopefully, it will give you some info you didn't know you needed. Well, that's all I really have to say. I'll probably add more to this A/N later, but for now it's going to stay short. Oh well. Till next time!**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite and Review please**

 **~Love you all**

 **~Peace out!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Good morning my faithful followers. Sorry, it's been so long.** **I have something for you. However. unfortunately, there is a problem. If you want this chapter to make sense, you have to go back a re-read chapter 14. I may have committed a small character murder by accident. Talk about involuntary manslaughter. I'm kidding by the way and I totally fixed the mistake. It's all better now even though it was hard to fix it in the first place. Well, times go on and no I must answer the few questions and statements that I actually have.**

 **So, I have been thinking about my required follower count, and I think that I might get rid of it. I was actually thinking about it at the same time The Age of Awesomeness brought it up. Plus, I've noticed that it takes about 2 months or so to get the chapter written up and edited before I post the next chapter. Sometimes it's a little bit longer than that, sometimes it's a bit sooner but on average, it's about 2 months. Now ain't that interesting? Hopefully, this knowledge will give you some stability. Too bad I can't give you any information on what could happen in the future. Although, Burning Twilight you do raise some interesting questions. I can't give you answers but your questions even if I know the answer but they do give me some inspiration if I don't have any. Don't stop your questions. Also, for my grammerly mistakes, I am very sorry if you catch them but as an imperfect human, I can't catch every single one of them the first or second time of editing.**

 **Welp, that's all I got for now. I hope to answer more of your questions in the next chapter, just make sure that you ask me. Onto the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 **~Chapter 17~**

You know that moment when you wake up and you have a panic attack because you fell asleep in an unfamiliar place? Yeah, well imagine that only 5 times worse with the ground only a blur below you and the sound of beating wings above you. If it weren't for the strong arms that were wrapped securely around her, she's pretty sure she would have plummeted to her death. Now, that wouldn't have been a pretty sight. And once she realized she wasn't in any mortal danger, she relaxed a bit. But, you know, mortal danger as in immediate death. Not mortal danger as in seeing some bad guy standing across from you. It was no secret that everyone thought the being around Chaos was putting oneself in mortal danger. However, Lucy didn't see it that way. And it was unlikely but she would let anyone else decide that for her.

Anyway, at this point, she was just wondering/trying to figure out where exactly she was. She could guess that they were almost to Clover. They had made it to the bridge before she passed out and now the bridge was nowhere in sight. She, of course, was unsure of how long she'd been out, or how far they'd gone, or how fast they were going, but it didn't matter to her anyway. Right now, she hardly had control of her limbs let alone focus on how they were going to get from point A to point B. Clearly, though, it seemed Chaos had everything under control. If anything, she should probably be more worried if things weren't in control by the Dragon Slayer. It was probable that she would handle some things on her own, but she would probably have to fight for those rights. Either way, what was important right now was finishing this mission. She had already been more emotionally exhausted than she had planned on being for a while.

For Chaos, this whole mission was ridiculous enough already without her whole little breakdown on the bridge. First, they had no clear mission, even from the beginning, and had no guaranteed pay to accompany it. Second, he was stuck with people he hated no matter how many times he ditched them. Third, this chick they'd forced to accompany them was clearly experiencing something terrible in those episodes she kept having. Ha! You were sure that he hadn't even noticed, weren't you? He'd noticed them alright, and for some reason, he was keen on keeping them to himself. However, he was sure that when he got home, he would definitely need some days void of any of the annoying happy people he was surrounded with. And, depending on the girl, he might allow her some time in the arena. For now, though, he had to focus on the mission at hand. Lullaby. What a waste of his time.

Eventually, the isolated land of Clover came into the Dragon Slayer's line of vision. The buildings were tall, they weren't to close together, there was a wall looking thing on the outside, and the whole thing was surrounded by a huge forest. A forest that seemed to come out of nowhere and end at the horizon on one side while mountains rose up around the city on the other side. It seemed a rather odd place to put a town but in all fairness, it seemed like it was a good area to have their town be shielded from the dangers beyond it. Unfortunately, it also kept the already existing dangers inside the confines of the "shield". Which includes those who force themselves past the so-called barrier. Take Erigor for example. He was bringing in a flute that could kill anyone who heard it's song. Something like that wasn't welcome but that didn't stop people from bringing it into the town and disrupting their way of life.

A strong wind whipped past the pair, tugging at their hair, and pulling at their clothes. The Chaos Dragon's wings flapped silently through the air above him, the only evidence being the air swishing around them. The town was growing ever closer when all of a sudden the Chaos Dragon took a hard turn to the right. With the first half of a shriek being ripped from her throat, she could do nothing as Natsu dove for the tree-littered earth. He veered out of the way of the outstretched branches from the towering trees but made no move to slow down. Her stomach lifted up into her throat as they spiraled down towards the earth. She couldn't help but think he was doing it on purpose.

It took seconds, but she managed to calm her stomach and stifle her screams as he continued his hazardous flying. She wasn't really sure where he was going at this point, but she knew she didn't have much control anyway. Some things are just better if you just go along with it. Other things, not so much but we aren't really going to get into those things. Though, she was not a fan of sharp, jagged, spiny flow she was following. She may have had no idea where they were going but she was well aware that her partner had everything figured out. It was highly likely that he had even found the perpetrator. Which, was exactly what had happened. From what the Dragon Slayer could tell, it seemed that the sent he was following was familiar in some way. He just couldn't figure out where it came from. It also seems that this mysterious scent was mixed with something else as well. Something… Irritating. Something... Unwanted. Something… Toxic? Now that was odd. He didn't know anyone who smelled toxic. The only things that smelled like that were… Innocent objects meant to… Kill people…. Like Lullaby. It was near. Locking onto its scent, the Chaos Dragon easily followed his prey. However, he hadn't expected this sight before him.

"What are you doing here?" He knew it wasn't him who spoke, but he sure as hell wasn't surprised enough to be left speechless. What a joke.

"I've come to play Lullaby's song." Standing before the Dragon and the girl was no other than the painfully wounded shadow mage. Now, wasn't this a surprise? The man who Chaos had dragged free from his magic now stood between him and the end of this ridiculous mission. Plus, in his hands, he held the object that contained that scent of poison. The top was still carved to be a skull with three eye sockets and the rest twisted down to where its roots opened like tentacles. Lullaby. It was such a grotesque looking object. A complete waste of wood for such an idiotic reason. What was even the point of killing that many people anyway? Humans are much more useful if there are alive and can be used as slaves. Or to rule over. Humans are so clueless sometimes.

"Well, if that's the case, then what's stopping you?" When a new voice suddenly joined the party, everyone couldn't help but turn and be surprised at who they found. Now, before we get to this mysterious newcomer, we should probably recap a few things first. First, we'll start with a few moments after Chaos and his "captive" ditched the rest of their "team" and roughly around the time they had escaped their windy prison. Of course, "team" and "captive" were being used by the same people who had forced themselves with the one they hated and the one they wanted to "save". Not that she needed or wanted to be saved by the standards of _those_ people. They were much too... loud for her taste. Some might argue that it was due to her extended presence with Chaos, while she could claim it was from her past. So many excuses, so hard to choose just one.

Regardless, she was still left with _him_ rather than _them_ and it really got on their nerves. Instead, they were left with an injured shadow mage who they'd shoved down an ice slide, courtesy of Gray. Once they dragged him up out of the hole, Erza had gone and come back with another one of those mage powered carriages. It may have been the one from earlier, but that didn't really matter to Gray. He instead focused on pushing the unconscious mage into the carriage and keeping him there once he woke up. He didn't take too kindly to being saved by "Fairy Flies" and instead wanted to carry out his master's plan. Or escape, if he could manage that. Ironically, he was only mostly successful in his escape. What had happened was as soon as he woke up, he had tried to fight for his escape as soon as he realized whose company he was in. It was then Gray's job to neutralize the threat, time and time again as the situation called for it. Of course, he didn't try to escape as many times as was implied but it makes a better story.

Fortunately for the shadow mage, those "Blasted Fairy Flies" had somehow lost their cool halfway through the forest. And it was completely Erza Scarlet's fault. Now, don't get her wrong, it wasn't on purpose but she honestly should've known better. The carriage that she rented or stole or whatever ran on magic power. Actual magic power. Like, draining power as if casting real spells. And of course, the more power you put into it, the fast it goes, the more power it drains. Which, in fact, was exactly Erza's problem. The drive from Point A (Onibus Station) to Point B (Clover) was much longer than she had anticipated and in every aspect was bad for her. This was the reason that Gray had to pretty much wrestle the cuff off her arm. The carriage had sputtered to a stop after that with a panting Erza, a bound shadow mage, and a very irritated Gray in the middle of a darkening forest. The ice mage honestly couldn't understand who his friend was pushing herself so hard. Sure, they had to secure the Lullaby Flute and keep the other two members of their team out of trouble, but did they need to work so hard to achieve it? Their teammates were big enough to take care of themselves. They often took off by themselves anyway. What did they need anyone else for if they kept ditching their group? Gray wasn't even sure why they were a group.

It was during this particular stop that the worst happened. Distraction. Gray was distracted with trying to free Erza from the band and that gave our irritating little shadow mage the opportunity to escape. Contrary to popular opinion, his escape wasn't all that difficult. All that really was necessary was a lack of guards, check, a good distraction, check, and cool enough magic to pull it off, check. So, with Gray's back turned and Erza near unconsciousness, it was pretty easy to slip away unnoticed. Then came the next task. Breaking the bonds that held hands captive. Although, that was pretty easy too. Pretty much what he needed to do was rub his wrists on the side of the tree or with a sharp stick and he would be free. Which is exactly what he did. It also helped that night was falling quickly, casting longer and longer shadows across the ground. Unfortunately for everyone else, that was the perfect time to use his magic. With his captors left behind him and the dragon nowhere near him, he made his way to the edge of the forest. Now, you may be wondering how and when Erza passed Natsu and question. She didn't. In fact, she was only seconds behind them. The trick comes with the speed of the dragon's flight. It was kept at a speed which was enough to be fast but slow enough to catch scents.

So, as the shadow mage left his shadow form and put the flute up to his mouth, he'd been discovered. He stood on the cliff, overlooking the town, the building he was looking for stood just before him. It was the biggest building in town, some kind of Assembly Hall or something and inside were the most important people in Fiore. Or...Second most important people in the country. Inside, the Guild masters of Fiore were having their annual meeting and everyone was there. Including the guild master to those wretched Fairy Flies. That horrible Master Makarov Dreyar. The shadow mage had brought the flute to his lips when a voice interrupted him. And it wasn't a voice that he had wanted to hear.

"What are you doing here?" the blonde girl asked. The shadow mage jerked around and stared at his enemy. White bandages, now dusted brown with dirt, were wrapped around his chest, and some bandages even spotted his face and arms.

"I've come to play Lullaby's song." The anger and disappointment that splashed across the girl's face seemed just short of heartbreaking. Was she really heartbroken over what he was about to do? Now, why was this an issue? Why did she care at all, besides the fact that her Guild Master was in the building he was targeting?

"Well, if that's the case, then what's stopping you?" Now, this new voice caught everyone by surprise. And it wasn't like they weren't paying attention, but for some people, paying attention sometimes isn't always enough. If you're thinking that does voice belongs to Gray or Erza, you'd be wrong there too. No, this person was definitely not someone who anyone was expecting to appear out of nowhere.

"Well... U-um... I-I," was his only response. This resulted in an eye roll from the Dragon and a scoff from the blonde. Well, wasn't this great? This guy is given the perfect opportunity to kill some of the most powerful people in Fiore and he was hesitating. How stupid was that? What kind of bad guy is he?

"Come on, son. Let's hear the song," was the man's response. So, if you haven't figured it out by now, clearly you're stupid and someone needs to tell you the answer. Maybe you just need more time but we really don't have time for that. The man who now stood before them was none other than the master of Fairy Tail, the mysterious Master Makarov. Said Master now looked around and after finding a rather large rock behind him, he sat down upon it.

"Uh...Gramps? Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lucy asked, casting a worried glance at the old man.

"It's ok, my child. Trust me," Gramps answered, still staring at the shadow mage. Lucy shrugged in response.

"Uh...ok, Gramps. Whatever you say. -Hey!" Her answer ended with a higher pitched yelp and didn't raise her voice to be heard again. The shadow mage cast a glance in their direction to see that Chaos had taken a seat against a tree trunk and had roughly pulled Blondie down next to him. She looked something in between angry, irritated, and happy which made him wonder about their current and past relationship. Wasn't he the Chaos Dragon who refused to take a partner multiple times in the past? Had he finally accepted a partner? Had this partner been forced on him? How had he allowed such a thing to happen? Where did this girl come from? Where-

"Come on, Son. Let's hear it." From where the short old man sat, he just gave a look of genuine interest to the shadow mage who couldn't seem to be able to figure these people out. Surely their guild master wasn't stupid enough to actually listen to Lullaby's death song. Why then, was this man _trying_ to get him to play it? Did he want to die? Did he really _want_ to cut his life short? He had so much to live for! There were so many people who loved him! People who cared for him! So many people who still depended on him for guidance or whatever! How could he throw it all away for something as simple as a flute and something as dangerous as Lullaby? What was wrong with this guy!? What happened to him that would make him suicidal when he had all these people around to help him with whatever? Though, he didn't seem all that depressed. What even is this?!

And what about those two on the other side of the clearing?! What were they doing? Why were they just sitting there? The shadow mage watched as the girl fought ridiculously with her partner. Apparently, not that anyone else knew this but, after he had pulled her down, he had started to doze off. Having nothing else to do, she was about to do the same and had planned on using him as a pillow. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't having it. So, after a fierce and furious battle, she won and he begrudgingly let her lean on him. Even if he had won, she probably would've slept on him anyway after he was asleep. That and the fact that he really didn't have the energy to fight with her anymore. Another point for Magic Deficiency Syndrome. Well, ducks for him. But that wasn't his only problem. His problem lay within his audience. It was bad enough that the Shadow mage watched with burning curiosity but Gramps was watching this oddly match couple as well. What? It wasn't his fault that this was a never before seen Chaos Dragon moment. No one ever willing involved themselves with this dangerous being. No one gets into a battle as small as the one that they had, especially a slap fight where the blonde somehow got and maintained the advantage that she had. It was so weird. Any fight that Chaos participated in ended with this opponent losing and more often than not the fight usually ended with his opponents in the infirmary or the hospital. Depending on their injuries. No one ever just gets into a slap fight with the most dangerous "good guy" this country has ever seen and win, forcing said man into a cuddled and irritated submission. What an interesting development.

So, with as much as we want to go back to the Shadow mage's continued thoughts on this curious pair and their indifference to Lullaby, or Gramps's cautious and curiousness of the sleeping pair, we are going to skip over that. Instead, we will go straight into the actions after the fact. With the master of Fairy Tail having turned his stare back to the Shadow mage, and with Chaos and his partner still sleeping, movement began taking place. The mage's fingers shook as he brought the flute to his lips, and his breathing was just short of erratic. He blew hastily and harshly and the sound that came out was definitely not Lullaby's song. Gramps just gave him a smile before he fell to the ground and let out the most dramatic gagging sound anyone had ever heard. It was loud enough to wake the sleeping members of Fairy Tail who shared a look of confusion. What was happening again? The gagging sound went on for a few minutes after the fact and finally the last breath sound escaped his lips. Was he being serious? The one who stood literally look down at his victim in awe before moving his eyes to the weapon in his hands. Had he really just done that? Trick question. Out of nowhere, deep cackling filled the air around them before a voice took its place in the silence.

"Ok, that's enough of that. Are you satisfied now, Son? You just killed the master of Fairy Tail. Congratulations," Gramps said as he pulled himself off the ground.

"Wh–Wha–Wh..." the Shadow mage stuttered.

"Don't worry about it, son. I knew this was going to be the outcome."

"You knew!?" exclaimed the Shadow Mage.

"Of course he knew," was the Blonde's grumble. "No wonder he made us sit this one out." Sure, no one was really paying her any attention but she wasn't all that concerned with it. It wasn't her conversation, to begin with. Why should she be concerned with the direction they were going to take it in?

"Yes, son. I did now," Gramps answer.

"How… How did you know I wasn't going to hurt you?" He asked staring at Gramps.

"It was in your eyes, son. I could tell you didn't want to hurt me as much as you didn't want to hurt them," he murmured as he gestured to the Dragon who had gone back to sleep.

"Even though they are a troublesome trio. Sometimes they deserve a smack upside the head." He turned his body as he said this comment but didn't bother to raise his voice. He knew they could hear him.

"Thanks, Gramps! Love you too!" the blonde yelled back at him. Gramps just chuckled and turned back to the Shadow Mage.

"See? You don't have to be what everyone to sees as. Or what you think everyone sees you as. You don't have to play Lullaby's song."

"But –… What…" he stuttered. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. Should he not play it? Should he go give the flute to someone else?

"PATHETIC HUMAN! YOU DON'T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO HOLD THE LULLABY FLUTE, LET ALONE PLAY IT! THEREFORE, I WILL HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF!" A voice screamed into the darkness. The air around them began to shake, and the ground beneath them started to quake.

"LET ME SHOW YOU THE TRUE POWER OF LULLABY!" The Shadow mage quickly dropped the flute as the eyes began to glow in the route started to expand. The others looked on in shock and horror as they tried to comprehend just what exactly was going on. The Chaos Dragon simply watched the scene unfold in angry annoyance as he heaved himself from the ground. This wasn't happening. Not now, not again. Not ever. He walked over to the other shell-shocked mages and stood near the expanding flute.

"We aren't doing this. Not again," the Dragon spat. He took a few steps away from everyone else before continuing with this plan.

"Chaos Dragon's Claw!" Standing tall, the ever ancient seal appeared in front of him, and from it sprang his magic. This flute had now grown to the size of a human when the clawed tendrils shot through the growing body of the wood.

"AAAAHHHHH! STOP THAT, PATHETIC HUMAN! YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME!" The dragon merely grunted as a response but he continued anyway. He wasn't about to listen to a piece of wood that thought itself stronger than the Chaos Dragon.

"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" A familiar voice rang out behind him, and soon he was joined by the muscled cow wearing underwear and wielding an axe. In fluid movements, the limbs of this object, who wasn't supposed to be alive, came crashing to the ground around them. The monster screamed in pain but no one paid attention to it. Kinda sounds heartless, doesn't it? The reason it wasn't most lay on the fact that they were more focused on killing it.

"Chaos Dragon's Phantom Zero." It was finally with this concentrated beam of magic that Lullaby started to topple. That is, seconds after Taurus cut through it first. The beam traveled from the bottom of its right hip to the top of its left shoulder which sent this beast down to the ground. The wood groaned and creaked as it fell, various parts breaking off and falling individually to the ground.

"Look out!" Someone screamed, as more bodies ran through the clearing. However, it was abundantly clear who it was at this point. Red streaks flashed through the Dragon's vision as he moved to grab the blonde who was somewhere near him. He didn't watch as Titania threw herself forward to protect to protect Gramps. He didn't see how the Ice Princess went to grab the Shadow Mage. He barely acknowledged the fact that Happy came up and wrapped himself around the Dragon's neck. He raised his hand to pet the feline's head as he flew above the situation.

"I missed you, Natsu. You left me alone with those awful goody two shoes. I didn't even enough time to book new brakes," Happy whined in the middle of his purring.

"I know. I'm sorry, Happy," Natsu murmured quietly as he stared at the chaos below him. His response was automatic, his mind was focused on something else entirely, and he didn't realize just how close he held his partner. Granted, it wasn't any closer than when they had flown here earlier but that wasn't important. It's possible that he didn't even realize the girl was there in the first place. He was locked in his own little chaos filled world and filled with shock instead of chaos, the girl wasn't part of it. When the dust finally settled, that's when he began to lower himself to the ground. It may not have been enough chaos to refill his energy supply, but it was enough to sustain him for now. He wasn't about to collapse in front of any of these people. They touched down slowly for a few minutes, but no one seemed to realize they were among them. It was short lived when Gramps when Gramps shouted,

"There they are! There are the saviors of the Guild Masters! Come here, my children!" Everyone turned to face them as less only began to walk forward. Who is she to disobey such a simple order from the guild master?

"Uh... Natsu doesn't hug people," Happy answered, not moving from his spot. He wouldn't be leaving either of them alone for a while.

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting one from him anyway," Gramps shot back. The blonde cast a worried glance back at her partners as she came to stand before the old man. She wasn't sure what she was nervous about, but there was something about being this close to him that sent a chill running through her spine.

"It's all right, my child. You don't have to be nervous. You did a good job. Even if you're paired with a destruction machine." He murmured with a glance to the pair behind them.

"You're welcome, Master!" Happy shouted.

"You children and your exceptional hearing," Gramps muttered.

"All right, you three go home and rest. You've earned it." This statement was ended with a pat on her hand, (as Gramps had been holding it) before Lucy's next question came spilling out of her mouth.

"What about Lullaby?" Her eyes fell to the wooden limbs that littered with the clearing and to where the rest of Lullaby reverted back into the super ugly flute it was. Her eyes fell on Lullaby just in time to see Natsu crush it beneath his boot. Well, at least they knew Lullaby wasn't coming back.

"Don't worry about it. Gray and Erza will take care of it," Gramps answered happily. There was a pause before a loud "WHAT" was screamed within the clearing followed by a "Come on!". They were not a happy pair but she didn't have to time to think about it as she was once again pulled close to a familiar heat. Sure, it was still relatively new but it was now familiar. Almost like her mother's. Except, her mother wasn't as warm as Natsu. Nothing was as warm as Natsu. So focused on nothing, the blonde hardly noticed anything around her. The ground grew smaller and the air colder, but all Lucy could think about was her mother.

 **Well, what did you think? So, many of you are probably wondering why I ended Lullaby like that. The main reason is that I wanted to get this arc over with. If I had gone into the fight with Lullaby than it would have taken at least another chapter and I honestly didn't feel like writing it. There are many other arcs to get done and I haven't even begun them yet. Plus, this ending works better with Natsu's character in this story.**

 **Also, the ending paragraph has a reason for being there. Too bad you won't find out what I mean until the next chapter. The only thing that needs to be done for the next chapter is more editing because I can't remember what exact information I have given you about this topic. And I feel that it is unfair if I kept giving you the same information you already have. Isn't that nice of me? Well, that's it. Don't forget to leave a review. Love you all!**

 **T** **ill next time!**

 **~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato**

 **~Follow, Favorite, and Review**

 **~Peace out!**


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